New delhi: In what many observers have described as a politically motivated move, India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) has requested the Delhi High Court to conduct an in-camera hearing on its petition seeking the death penalty for Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik.

The NIA submitted the request before a bench comprising Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Manoj Jain, citing 'sensitivity and security concerns' as reasons for closed-door proceedings. The court has fixed January 28, 2026, as the date for hearing arguments on the agency's plea.

Yasin Malik, appearing via video link from New Delhi's Tihar Jail, voiced deep frustration over the prolonged delay in the case. 'It's been three years since the NIA filed the appeal. Keeping a person in limbo about whether he will be awarded the death sentence or not is psychological torture,' he told the court.

The NIA's move has sparked widespread condemnation from Kashmiri political and human rights circles, who view it as part of India's continuing campaign to silence pro-freedom voices in the occupied territory. Critics argue that the secrecy surrounding the proceedings undermines the principles of transparency and justice, particularly in a case that carries grave human and political implications.