Charges framed by court against Asiya Andrabi for sedition
By: Muzamil Bhat CK
Srinagar
Court in Delhi has framed charges against the detained Asiya Andrabi for waging war against the government of India and for being in conspiracies against the country.
News agencies have reported that formal charges were framed against her by the court on Saturday.
Special Judge Parveen Singh had put Asiya Andrabi and her two associates Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen on trial for various offences punishable under IPC and the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on 20 February 2021.
The court passed the order after the accused pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. The court framed charges under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against the government of India), 121-A (conspiracy to wage war against government of India), 124-A (sedition), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 153-B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the IPC.
Reports said that special judge further framed sections 18 (conspires or attempts to commit, or advocates, abets, advises or incites terror act), 20 (being member of terrorist gang or organization), 38 (offence relating to membership of a terrorist organization) and 39 (offence relating to support given to a terrorist organization) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Asiya Andrabi is under detention and has been accused by NIA of being involved in conspiracy and acts to “severely destabilize the sovereignty and integrity of India”, along with her two other associates who are also under detention.
The NIA, on directions of the Union home ministry, registered a case against them and the organization they were running in Kashmir valley.
News agencies from New Delhi have reported that according to the FIR, Andrabi, Fehmeeda and Nasreen were actively running Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DEM), an organization prescribed under the first schedule of the UAPA.
They were using various media platforms to spread insurrectionary imputations and hateful speeches that endanger the integrity, security and sovereignty of India, the NIA said
DEM through Andrabi openly advocated secession of Jammu and Kashmir from the Union of India and had also called for Jihad and use of violence against India, it said.
The three accused were arrested in April 2018 and are currently in custody.
(With inputs from agencies)
