Kerala: A special NIA court here today sentenced 18 SIMI members, including its leader Safdar Nagori, to seven years rigorous imprisonment (RI) after they were found guilty of organising an arms training camp for the banned outfit in Kerala in 2007.
Special NIA court Judge Kauser Edappagath also sentenced them to varying terms of imprisonment under different sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Explosives Substances Act (ESA) and Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
They were sentenced to one-year RI under Section 10 and five years under Section 38 of the UAPA, seven years RI under Section 4 of the ESA and seven years under the IPC’s Section 120(B). The sentences would run concurrently. Fourteen 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.
The court had yesterday acquitted 17 others in the case. The case was registered by the Kerala Police against Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) members for holding an arms training camp in December 2007 at Thangalpara in Kerala’s Wagamon.
The charge-sheet filed by National Investigation Agency (NIA) said the participants at the “secret training camp” had engaged in physical training, firing practice, training in explosives, motorcycle racing, rope climbing, besides classes on “jihad” in India.
The court had rejected the NIA’s charges against the accused under IPC sections 122 (collecting arms with intention of waging war against the Government of India), 124-A (attempts to spread disaffection towards the government) and 153-A (spread enmity between communities).