CBI urges Supreme Court to shift Yasin Malik trial from Jammu to Tihar jail court

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has moved an application in the Supreme Court, seeking to transfer the trial of terror convict Yasin Malik from Jammu to a makeshift court in Delhi's Tihar jail.

Malik, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail, need not be physically produced before the court in Jammu for trial as Tihar jail has a functional court with video-conferencing facilities, solicitor general Tushar Mehta informed the top court on Thursday.

Mehta told a bench of justices Abhay Oka and Augustine George Masih that a transfer application has been filed. Another application has been filed to amend the plea and to add co-accused as parties in the appeal.


Mehta submitted that there already exists a fully functional court in the jail and proceedings have taken place there in the past.

SC amended the amendment application and issued notice to the accused added as additional respondents. The bench also issued notice on the transfer application filed by CBI.

Last week, the bench had expressed that all the accused, and not just Malik, must be heard before the trial is transferred. At the last hearing, the bench had suggested that a makeshift courtroom could be set up at the jail to settle the matter.

"In our country, a fair trial was given even to Ajmal Kasab," justice Oka had verbally observed and added that even witnesses would need to be given security.

Suggesting that a courtroom can be set up inside the jail, the bench had remarked, "We need to see how the judge will be posted in jail only for this court." The matter will come up for resumed hearing on December 18.