Terrorism and sedition charges framed against Kashmiri separatist Aasiya Andrabi, two others

New Delhi: A Delhi court has framed terrorism, sedition and other charges against Kashmiri separatist Aasiya Andrabi and her two associates for allegedly waging war against the government of India and conspiring to commit terror acts in the country. The case relates to waging war against the country with support from Pakistan including terror entities. Special Judge Parveen Singh had put Andrabi and her 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. 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. It further framed 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) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Andrabi, who was chief of the banned outfit Dukhtaran-e-Millat (daughters of nation), was accused by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of being involved in conspiracy and acts to “severely destabilise the sovereignty and integrity of India”, along with her two other associates. By their activities on cyber space, they were running a concerted campaign to solicit support of Pakistani establishment which inter-alia included arranging support from terrorist entities from Pakistan, it said. The NIA, on directions of the Union home ministry, registered a case against them and the organisation. According to the FIR, Andrabi, Fehmeeda and Nasreen were actively running Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DEM), a terrorist organisation proscribed 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.