Kashmiri Separatist Leader Asiya Andrabi Convicted Under UAPA

Court Convicts Asiya Andrabi and Associates

A court in Delhi, operating under the National Investigation Agency, delivered a conviction on Wednesday against Kashmiri separatist leader Asiya Andrabi along with two of her associates, citing violations of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

Andrabi, who is reportedly the founder and leader of the banned women's separatist group Dukhtaraan-e-Millat, was taken into custody by Jammu and Kashmir Police in April 2018 for allegedly orchestrating a significant protest in Anantnag. Following her arrest, she was incarcerated in Srinagar.

In July 2018, the NIA apprehended Andrabi and her associates, Nahida Nasreen and Fahmeeda Sofi, while they were still in Srinagar jail.

The central agency initiated a case against the trio under anti-terrorism laws, accusing them of being part of a prohibited organization, waging war against the state, sedition, and engaging in criminal conspiracy. They were officially charged in February 2021.

The case was presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh, who ultimately found the defendants guilty of conspiracy and membership in a terrorist organization as per the UAPA.

Additionally, the court convicted the women under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, which included charges related to inciting hostility between groups, making prejudicial assertions against national integration, conspiring to wage war against the Government of India, and public mischief.

The court is scheduled to hear sentencing arguments on Saturday.

Andrabi's conviction marks her as the second separatist leader to face such a ruling from an NIA court following Yasin Malik's conviction since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019, which had previously conferred special status to Jammu and Kashmir.