New Delhi, October 1: A Delhi court has ordered the framing of money laundering charges against jailed Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik and six others in a case involving alleged receipt of funds from Pakistan through hawala channels.
Special Judge Prashant Sharma, in an order dated September 9, directed that charges be framed under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), observing that there was a “prima facie strong suspicion” against the seven accused.
Besides Malik, the accused include Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Naval Kishore Kapoor, Masrat Alam Bhat, and Trison Frams and Construction Pvt Ltd.
According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the accused allegedly received funds from Pakistani establishments to promote their secessionist agenda and engage in subversive activities.
The formal framing of charges could not take place on September 30 as the accused were not physically produced before the court. The judge subsequently directed the ED to obtain their signatures on the charges at the respective prisons where they are lodged.
The court has posted the matter for further proceedings on October 30.
The ED case stems from a 2017 National Investigation Agency (NIA) case, in which the agency had invoked charges including criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the accused.
