Srinagar: A Srinagar court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of the plea against jailed former militant Bitta Karate in the alleged murder of Kashmiri Pandit Satish Tickoo after the lawyer representing Tickoo's family alleged the J&K government failed to provide him the security. Tikku's lawyer Utsav Bains expressed concern over the lack of security provided by the police and urged that the case be adjourned in view of his failure to appear in court.
Requesting the court to adjourn the hearing on the matter, the email sent by Bains read, "That as no security was provided to Advocate Sh. Utsav Bains by Jammu and Kashmir Police today in spite of orders by Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, the learned advocate has to unfortunately return back to Delhi after landing at the Srinagar Airport today at 9 am. It is requested to your lordship to please adjourn today’s hearing in Criminal Revision No 138 of 2022 in the interest of justice."
On March 30, the family of slain Kashmiri Pandit Satish Kumar Tiku had filed a criminal petition in the Sessions Court of Srinagar against the imprisoned Kashmiri separatist and former militant Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate.
Accordingly, the court directed security forces and the J&K administration to submit the report on the matter before the next hearing scheduled for May 10.
A court official told ETV Bharat that the hearing could have been conducted online. "The hearings can be conducted online too these days as all courts across India have virtual hearing facilities. We feel that petitioners are not interested in a fast track hearing in the matter," the official said.
He confirmed that the judge has accepted the petitioner's request and has adjourned the hearing in the matter for now. "The next date of the hearing will be announced separately," the official added. Pertinently, during a TV interview in 1990, Bitta Karate had pleaded guilty to killing more than a dozen Kashmiri Pandits, but during the court hearing, he said that the statement was made under duress and coercion in prison, and he has not killed anyone. Karate was jailed from 1990 to 2006 on various charges and was released on bail for a few months in 2006. He was re-arrested in 2019 in a terror funding case and has been incarcerated ever since.
Also read: Criminal petition filed against Bitta Karate over Kashmiri Pandit Satish Tickoo's killing
