A special NIA court in Delhi on October 1 ordered the framing of money-laundering charges against Yasin Malik and six others in a hawala funding case.

Special NIA Judge Prashant Sharma at the Patiala House courts passed the order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The case alleges that Rs 8.94 crore was funnelled through hawala channels from the Pakistani establishment to fuel unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.

Framing of charges means the accused will now stand trial. The court found sufficient material to proceed, though the accused have denied wrongdoing.

Yasin Malik, a former separatist leader, is already serving a life sentence in a separate terror-funding case decided in 2022.

The Enforcement Directorate, which investigates PMLA cases, has alleged that the funds were routed through cross-border networks and used to finance stone-pelting and protests.

The trial will now move to the evidence stage. Conviction under PMLA carries a prison term of three to seven years, along with possible confiscation of assets.

The case is one of several linked to alleged terror financing in Kashmir that remain before Delhi's special courts.