Sarla Bhat Murder Case: SIA Files 737-Page Chargesheet, Yasin Malik Named Main Accused

Nearly 35 years after the abduction, rape, torture and murder of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat, the State Investigation Agency (SIA), Kashmir, is set to file a 737-page chargesheet before a special court in Srinagar. According to reports, the chargesheet names JKLF chief Mohammad Yasin Malik and several others, alleging their involvement in the 1990 crime. The case was transferred to the SIA in March 2024 for a fresh investigation. Investigators say they reconstructed the case using protected witness testimonies, independent eyewitness accounts, forensic, ballistic, medical, documentary and electronic evidence. The chargesheet invokes provisions of the IPC, TADA and the Arms Act. The SIA says the filing marks a major milestone in one of Jammu and Kashmir's longest-pending legacy terror investigations.