A special NIA court on Monday sentenced two convicts in the Panayikulam SIMI camp case to 14 years rigorous imprisonment and three others to 12 years after they were found guilty under various IPC sections and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Additional District and Sessions Court Judge K M Balachandran said the accused are not entitled to get the benefit of concurrent running of case. The court had on November 25 convicted five SIMI activists and acquitted 11 others in the case relating to a ‘secret’ meeting of the banned outfit at Pannayikulam near Aluva in 2006.
The court found all accused guilty under section 13(1)(b) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and awarded a maximum sentence of seven years RI besides sentencing them under various sections of UAPA and IPC. Even though counsel for the accused canvassed for extending the benefit of Probation of Offenders Act to the accused, “since the offences committed by them are against our nation, I find that this is not a fit case wherein the benefit of the Probation of Offenders Act could be extended to them,” the judge said.