India, Jan. 21 -- A week after a Delhi court convicted Kashmiri separatist leader Aasiya Andrabi and two of her associates under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the case has entered an unusual legal limbo --not on its merits, but over which judge is legally competent to decide their punishment.

The uncertainty surfaced during a hearing last Friday before special judge (NIA) Prashant Sharma at the Patiala House Courts, when the court noted that the conviction judgment was delivered by his predecessor, Chanderjit Singh, who has since been transferred as district judge to the Karkardooma Courts and does not hold the power as an NIA judge anymore. The question now is whether Singh can hear arguments on the quantum of sentenc...