In Rubaiya Saeed Case, TADA Court Frames Charges 31 Years Later

Amongst the ten accused is Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik.

(Photo: IANS)

After 31 years of the abduction of the then Union Home Minister late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s daughter Rubaiya Sayeed, special TADA court judge Sunit Gupta framed charges against ten accused on 11 January. This includes Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik and 9 other accused.

Besides Malik, charges were framed against Ali Mohammad Mir, Mohammad Zaman Mir, Iqbal Ahmad Gandroo, Javed Ahmad Mir alias Nalka, Mohammad Rafiq Pahloo alias Nana Ji alias Saleem, Manzoor Ahmed Sofi, Wajahat Bashir, Mehraj-ud-Din Sheikh and Showkat Ahmad Bakshi, The Indian Express reported.

The judge said relying on confessional statements made in front of a magistrate under section 164 of CrPC, there was a prima facie presumption that Yasin Malik, Ali Mohammad Mir, Iqbal Ahmed Gandroo, Manzoor Ahmed Sofi, Mehraj-u-Din Sheikh and Rafiq Ahmed Pahloo have committed the offences of entering into criminal conspiracy, kidnapping Rubaiya with an intention to murder and keeping her in wrongful confinement under provisions of Ranbir Penal Code. This, the court said, was apart from Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (TADA) Act and Indian Arms Act, The Indian Express reported.

The other accused in the case were charged with criminal conspiracy, wrongful confinement and provisions of TADA. These include Mohammad Zaman Mir, Javed Ahmed Mir, Wajahat Bashir and Shoukat Ahmed Bakshi.

These ten are amongst two dozen accused named by the CBI, while two of them are dead, another ten are absconding.

The CBI in their charge sheet have stated that the accused borrowed a blue car belonging to one of the accused, assembled in front of the house of another accused Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, on 8 December 1989, and planned to kidnap Rubaiya. From there Rubaiya was kept in captivity till five JKLF militants were released from different jails in exchange.