Hyderabad, Sept. 3: Separatist leader and banned JKLF chief Yasin Malik has decided not to oppose the trial in the 1990 murder case of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat.
Malik, who is serving a life sentence in Tihar Jail, submitted a 25 page statement before the Additional Sessions Court in Srinagar through his lawyer Abu Adil Pandit.
He said the court could consider awarding him the death penalty. However, Malik clarified that his decision should not be treated as an admission of guilt.
Yasin Malik Submits Statement in Sarla Bhat Case
Malik claimed that political circumstances led to his alleged wrongful implication in the case. He said he reached the decision after careful consideration and following Istikhara, an Islamic prayer for guidance.
The court has adjourned the matter until September 19 for further hearing.
Sarla Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit and staff nurse at Sher e Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, was abducted in April 1990 during the height of militancy. Her body was recovered a few days later.
The case remained unresolved for several years before the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s State Investigation Agency reopened it in 2025.
Following the reopening, searches were conducted at locations linked to Malik and other accused persons. The chargesheet names Yasin Malik, Khurshid Ahmed Chalku, Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Mohammed Yusuf Sofi and Ghulam Mohammed Taplu.
Chalku is currently absconding, while Sheikh, Sofi and Taplu have died. Malik is the main accused in the case who remains alive.
Meanwhile, Malik also announced a decision concerning his personal life. He said he had decided to end his 16 year marriage to Pakistani artist Mushal Hussain Mullick.
The couple married in 2009 and have a 13 year old daughter, Razia Sultana. Malik appealed to Razia to support her mother and grandmother during the difficult period.
Malik is also facing trial in another murder case in Jammu while serving his life sentence at Tihar Jail.
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