A National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court here on Wednesday sentenced four operatives of the banned Indian Mujahideen terrorist group to 10 years of imprisonment.The accused were sentenced as part of an IM conspiracy case that hatched a plot alongside Pakistan-based terrorists to carry out a series of bomb blasts across India.NIA SPECIAL COURT SENTENCES 4 TO 10 YEARS IN JAIL IN INDIAN MUJAHIDEEN CONSPIRACY CASE pic.twitter.com/pkNvELYrHa— NIA India (@NIA_India) July 13, 2023The four accused – who were convicted on July 10 by the NIA Special Court in Delhi – were sentenced by Special Judge Shailender Malik under various sections of the IPC and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for hatching a criminal conspiracy to wage war against the government of India.The authorities proved that the four were in close association with other IM operatives, including the Pakistan-based Riyaz Bhatkal and the now-arrested Yasin Bhatkal.NIA court in Delhi convicts four Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives -Danish Ansari, Aftab Alam, Imran Khan and Obaid-Ur-Rehman-under various sections of the IPC and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for hatching a criminal conspiracy to wage war against India by conducting…— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2023The four IM operatives who were sentenced were identified as Danish Ansari, Aftab Alam, Imran Khan, and Obaid-Ur-Rehman. The four were from Bihar, Maharashtra, and Telangana.The Court also imposed a fine of ₹2,000 on Danish Ansari and ₹10,000 on Aftab Alam.NIA court awards punishment to Indian Mujahideen operatives, then asks for releaseThe judgement to award 10 years of imprisonment, however, will clear the path for the four convicts to be released from detention, as they have spent 10 years in prison since their arrest in 2013. The Court directed the NIA to release the four convicts if their continued custody was not needed for any other cases.The lawyer representing the convicts argued that they were from a poor background and belonged to the lower strata of the society, and requested the court to keep that in mind and pass a lenient sentence. The counsel also pointed out that they had all pleaded guilty, and already spent 10 years in jail.Special Judge Malik noted that Imran Khan, Aftab Alam, and Obaid-Ur-Rehman have been in prison since February and March of 2013, and have completed their 10-year sentence.In the case of Danish Alam, the Court observed that he was young, had completed his Class 12, and was not involved in any other criminal cases.“He intends to pursue normal, responsible life for being a better citizen of the country,” the Court noted. “Therefore taking into consideration the fact that there has not been any criminal antecedent of this convict, this court in the interest of justice is giving an opportunity to convict Danish to conduct responsibly in future as a good citizen of country.”
