First punishment in Gujarat under Official Secrets Act; 3 get life term
Ahmedabad Sessions Court has sentenced three individuals to life imprisonment for their involvement in sharing the Indian Army’s confidential information with Pakistan’s spy agency ISI.
The convicted individuals include two residents of Jamalpur in Ahmedabad and one from Jodhpur in Rajasthan. They were arrested by Ahmedabad District Crime Branch in 2012.
The court proceedings, led by Public Prosecutor Bharat Patni, involved the testimonies of 75 witnesses. The case unveiled that both the accused, Sirajuddin from Jamalpur and Naushad Ali from Rajasthan, had separately traveled to Pakistan and interacted with ISI agents named Taimur and Tahir.
It was revealed that they were earning money by sharing sensitive information about the Indian military with ISI agents. They received a sum of Rs.2 lakh, which included Rs.1.96 lakh through Western Union money transfer and Rs.6,000 through Moneygram.
An observation made by Judge A R Patel during the verdict was that the accused displayed more affection towards Pakistan than their own country.
The convicted individuals have been sentenced to life imprisonment under sections 121 and 120(b) of the IPC 1860. They also received a 10-year imprisonment sentence under Section 123, a 14-year imprisonment sentence under Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act 1923, and Section 66 of the IT Act 2000.
Additionally, they have been collectively fined a total of Rs.20,000 with each accused required to pay a fine of Rs.5,000. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional 6 months of simple imprisonment.
[With Inputs from IANS]
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