New Delhi Jan 28: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted four weeks to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to respond to a reply filed by separatist leader Yasin Malik to its appeal seeking death penalty for him in a terror funding case, and listed the matter for hearing on April 22.

As Malik, who was virtually appearing from Tihar jail where he is serving life sentence in the case, accused the agency of “wasting time” and causing him “trauma” by “taking dates” in the appeal filed in 2023, a bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja said there was no urgency in the case.

“There is no urgency. This is for enhancement of sentence. You are already on life sentence,” the bench remarked.

The court gave four weeks as “last opportunity” to the NIA to file its rejoinder.

NIA counsel submitted that Mailk filed a lengthy reply to the agency’s appeal, which even had content “not related” to the case, and the rejoinder was being vetted.

He also objected to Malik’s claim of NIA seeking repeated adjournments, and said Malik himself took one year to file his reply to the appeal.

He further informed the court that the agency was seeking an in-camera hearing in the matter.