Umamageswari Maruthappan
A Delhi Court presided over by Special Judge Parveen Singh ordered for trial proceedings of Kashmiri separatist Aasiya Andrabi by framing relevant charges including terrorism and sedition.
The trial which was ordered following Aasiya’s plea for the same will be under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Charges were framed under IPC on sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against the government of India), 121-A (conspiracy to wage war against the 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) and under UAPA on sections 18 (conspires or attempts to commit, or advocates, abets, advises or incites terror act), 20 (being member of terrorist gang or organisation), 38 (offence relating to membership of a terrorist organisation) and 39 (offence relating to support given to a terrorist organisation).
Aasiya Andrabi, the leader of Dukhtaran-e-Millat was accused of being involved in a terrorist conspiracy against the Government of India with the support of the neighbouring country, Pakistan.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) claimed that Andrabi along with her two associates, Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen, was carrying out activities to “severely destabilise the sovereignty and integrity of India.”
It was alleged that they were campaigning in support of the Pakistani establishment which also supported aiding from Pakistan’s terrorist entities.
They further were spreading “insurrectionary imputations and hateful speeches” through various media platforms which the NIA stated to be a threat to India’s security and constitutional principles.
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