NEW DELHI: The NIA has sought life imprisonment for Kashmiri separatist and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi following her conviction in a UAPA case, saying she waged war against India and a stern message must be sent that conspiring against the State will invite the harshest penalty.
Submissions were made before Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh, hearing arguments on the quantum of sentence against Andrabi and her two associates, Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen, who were convicted under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in January.
“The convicts are well-educated women, and their acts were part of a deep-rooted conspiracy to wage war against the Government of India. They were not just part of the conspiracy but were the main perpetrators,” the NIA submitted in its written arguments.
The special public prosecutor submitted that the trio used social media and seditious gatherings with support of terrorist entities based abroad to wage war against India, and used their proscribed organisation DEM to incite insurrection and seek secession of Jammu and Kashmir from the Union of India.
The trio was convicted on January 14, 2026, for offences under UAPA and IPC, including conspiracy to commit terror acts and waging war against the State. The agency highlighted that Andrabi has a long history of criminal activities with 33 FIRs registered against her across J&K, while Fehmeeda and Nasreen are involved in nine and five cases respectively.
The NIA informed the court that the convicts colluded with Pakistan-based entities and UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed, founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba. “This transforms their conspiracy from a domestic matter into a cross-border collusion against the security, sovereignty, and integrity of India,” the agency said.
The NIA counsel argued that their provocative speeches and social media posts radicalised impressionable youth, citing major terror attacks including Pulwama and Uri as consequences of such radicalisation.
“The social impact of the crime, where it relates to terrorism and waging war against India, requires exemplary treatment. A stern message is required to be sent that conspiring against the state will invite the harshest penalty,” the agency argued.
The defence counsel opposed the life term, arguing the prosecution failed to show any evidence that the speeches or posts ever instigated people to violence.
The court listed the matter for March 24 for pronouncing the sentencing order.
