New Delhi, 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 sentence, or whether the matter must be decided afresh by the designated NIA court. The conundrum arises from a Delhi high court order dated July 15, 2025, which lays down mandatory protocols for judges who are transferred after reserving judgments. Under the guidelines, a judge who has reserved judgment is duty-bound to pronounce it within two to three weeks of transfer, and the matter cannot be listed for re-hearing before the successor court. In the Andrabi case, Singh -- then special judge (NIA) at Patiala House -- reserved judgment on September 9, 2025 and was transferred on November 18 that year. He eventually delivered the 286-page conviction ruling after his transfer, prompting the successor court to flag questions about the proper forum for the sentencing hearing. Andrabi and her associates were arrested by NIA in 2018 for allegedly running a terrorist organisation.htc...