Secret SIMI meeting: NIA court sentences two to 14 years of imprisonment

The court granted jail term of 14 years to the first accused P A Shaduli and second accused Abdul Rasik. The three others who were sentenced to undergo 12 years of jail term are Ansar Nadvi, Nizamudheen and Shameem. While the first two convicted have to pay fine of Rs 60,000 each, the three others have to pay Rs 50,000 each.

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Judge K M Balachandran had upheld the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) charges slapped against the first three accused.

As per the prosecution, the five accused entered into a criminal conspiracy in Kochi and other places to advocate, incite and abet unlawful activities for cession of Kashmir from India and to bring hatred and contempt towards the government, and in pursuance therefore, organised a secret meeting at Panayikulam near Kochi on August 15, 2006.

The NIA chargesheet said that all the 17 accused had attended the meeting with books and pamphlets that were anti-national, seditious and contained inflammatory writings. They brought a publication of SIMI with an intention to bring hatred and contempt against the government, to conduct jihad for cession of Kashmir from India and bring back Muslim rule in India, the chargesheet said, adding that the five accused found guilty were sitting on the dais and the acquitted persons were in the audience.

The case had 18 persons in the list of the accused. However, the NIA made one of the accused, Rasheed Maulavi, an approver in the case.

According to the chargesheet, during the secret meeting, the second accused, Abdul Rasik, spoke that India was built by the British. He was quoted by the police as saying, “Before that it had been a group of countries ruled by the Mughals and Nizams. The existing governments were against Islam… Indian military is killing Muslims, who are conducting jihad for their freedom in Kashmir. SIMI is trying to protect the interest of the Muslims in India…’’