Supreme Court Orders Enhanced Video Conferencing for Yasin Malik Trial

The Supreme Court has directed the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and Delhi High Court to ensure proper video conferencing facilities for the trial of separatist leader Yasin Malik. The court seeks updated status reports by February 18, with hearings scheduled for February 21.

The Supreme Court, on Monday, mandated the installation of robust video conferencing systems in a special Jammu court where separatist leader Yasin Malik's trial is underway. Malik is currently detained at Tihar Jail. The directive was issued by a bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan.

The bench also instructed Delhi High Court's Registrar General to secure adequate video conferencing provisions at Tihar Jail, where Malik is linked to another case. High Court registrars must submit status reports by February 18, with a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea hearing set for February 21.

This move follows observations by a trial judge that video conferencing facilities were malfunctioning in Jammu. The Supreme Court was reviewing a CBI petition to transfer trials of the 1989 Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping and the 1990 Srinagar shootout cases involving Malik, from Jammu to New Delhi.

(With inputs from agencies.)