18 SIMI members jailed for 7 years
KOCHI : A special NIA court here sentenced 18 SIMI members, including its leader Safdar Nagori, to seven years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) Tuesday, after they were found guilty of organising an arms training camp for the members of the banned outfit in Kerala in 2007.
Special NIA court Judge Kauser Edappagath also sentenced the convicts to varying terms of imprisonment under different sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act (ESA) and section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
They were sentenced to oneyear RI under section 10 and fiveyear RI under section 38 of the UAPA, seven-year RI under section 4 of the ESA and seven-year RI under section 120-B, IPC.
Of the convicts, 13 were also found guilty under section 20 of the UAPA (punishment for being a member of a terrorist organisation/gang) and sentenced to seven years of RI.
The court imposed a fine of ~1 lakh each on the 13 convicts found guilty under various sections, including section 20 of the UAPA.
A fine of ~50,000 each was slapped on the remaining five, who were found guilty under other sections.
The judge said the sentences would run concurrently and setoffs would be allowed.
Fourteen of the convicts, who have been in judicial custody for more than seven years, will get the benefit of set-off allowed by the court, a defence lawyer said.
Under section 428 of the Crpc, the period of detention undergone by an accused during investigation or trial will be set off against the period of his imprisonment. The court had Monday acquitted 17 others in the case.
The case was registered by the Kerala police against members of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) for organising an arms training camp at Thangalpara in Wagamon in December, 2007. As per the NIA’S charge sheet, articipants at the “secret training camp” had engaged themselves in physical training, firing practice, training in explosives, motorcycle racing, rope climbing, and classes on “jihad”.