NEW DELHI — January 14, 2026: In a landmark legal ruling, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Delhi has convicted prominent Kashmiri separatist leader Asiya Andrabi and two of her associates, Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen, for their involvement in a criminal conspiracy to wage war against the Government of India. Presiding Judge Chander Jit Singh found the trio guilty under several stringent sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), specifically citing their membership in a proscribed terrorist organization and their active role in orchestrating anti-national activities. The conviction marks a significant milestone in the 2018 case involving the Dukhtaraan-e-Millat (DeM), an all-women separatist group founded by Andrabi that has long been accused of inciting violence and secessionist sentiments in Jammu and Kashmir.
The prosecution’s case, which led to the 2018 arrest and subsequent 2021 framing of charges, successfully argued that Andrabi used multiple media platforms to disseminate hateful speeches and insurrectionary imputations aimed at destabilizing the sovereignty of India. The court confirmed that the defendants were guilty of violating UAPA Sections 18 and 38, alongside various Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including 153A, 153B, and 121-A, for promoting enmity and conspiring to commit terrorist acts. Evidence presented during the trial highlighted how the DeM openly advocated for “Jihad” and solicited support from banned militant groups to disrupt communal harmony. Following the guilty verdict delivered under heavy security, the court has scheduled a hearing for January 17 to determine the quantum of the sentence, with the possibility of life imprisonment looming for the convicts.
