A day after a Delhi court sentenced her to life imprisonment for her involvement in seditious activities aimed at waging war against the Government of India and promoting the secession of Jammu and Kashmir, People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti came out in support of jailed separatist leader Asiya Andrabi.
A Delhi court on Tuesday sentenced Andrabi to life imprisonment, while her associates, Nahida Nasreen and Sofi Fehmeeda, were awarded 30-year jail terms.
Reacting to the verdict, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday appealed to the Government of India to review Andrabi's life sentence and consider granting her parole on humanitarian grounds, citing her age and prolonged period in custody.
Speaking to reporters during a plantation drive at the party office in Srinagar, Mufti said that the concept of life imprisonment should be reconsidered and restricted to a fixed term, as was practised earlier.
Mufti argued that Andrabi has already spent a considerable period in detention and that her case should be viewed from a humanitarian perspective. She reiterated that life imprisonment should be limited to 14 years, as was previously interpreted, and noted that the government has granted parole to several convicts in the past.
While making the appeal, the PDP president clarified that she does not support Andrabi's ideology but stressed that humanitarian considerations should prevail in her case.
Asiya Andrabi gets life imprisonment
In a major verdict in a terror funding and conspiracy case, a Delhi court on Tuesday sentenced Asiya Andrabi to life imprisonment, while awarding 30-year jail terms to her associates Nahida Nasreen and Sofi Fehmeeda.
The case was investigated by the National Investigation Agency.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh pronounced the sentence, holding 65-year-old Andrabi guilty under multiple provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court also imposed fines amounting to several lakhs.
Andrabi, who has been lodged in Tihar Jail since 2018, was awarded life imprisonment under Section 18 of UAPA for conspiracy, along with a fine of ₹5 lakh under Section 120B IPC. She was further sentenced to 10 years each under Sections 38 and 39 of UAPA, and five years each under Sections 153A and 505 IPC. Additionally, the court awarded her life imprisonment under Section 121A IPC, along with fines and default sentences.
Co-accused Fehmeeda (39) and Nasreen (61) were each sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment under Section 18 of UAPA and Section 120B IPC, along with fines of ₹5 lakh. They were also awarded 10 years each under Sections 38 and 39 of UAPA, and four years each under Sections 153A, 153B, and 505 IPC.
Under Section 121A IPC, both were sentenced to 10 years in jail along with fines. The court directed that all sentences would run concurrently and granted the benefit of set-off for the period already spent in custody.
The sentencing follows the court's conviction order dated January 14, 2026, in which all three were found guilty under various provisions of UAPA and IPC.
