New Delhi, March 24: A Delhi court on Tuesday sentenced three operatives of the banned Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) to imprisonment in a 2018 Kashmir secession conspiracy case investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The special NIA court awarded life imprisonment to DeM chief Aasiya Andrabi, while co-accused Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen were sentenced to 30 years in jail along with fines, officials said.
The three were convicted in January this year by a trial court at Karkardooma under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code, including charges related to conspiracy, promoting enmity and unlawful activities.
According to the NIA, Andrabi was sentenced to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 8 lakh. Fehmeeda and Nasreen were each awarded 30 years of imprisonment and fined Rs 7 lakh each.
The agency said the case was registered suo motu in April 2018, following which the accused were arrested in July the same year. A chargesheet was filed in November 2018 after examination of evidence, including social media content, videos and public statements.
The court held that the accused were involved in operating DeM and promoting separatist activities aimed at the secession of Jammu and Kashmir from India, the NIA said.
Investigations revealed that the accused used social media platforms and public forums to spread content intended to incite violence and support unlawful activities, posing a threat to the country’s sovereignty and integrity, the agency added.
Officials said Andrabi is also named in several other cases, while Fehmeeda and Nasreen have multiple cases registered against them in Jammu and Kashmir.
The NIA said the investigation had established the role of the accused in furthering the activities of the banned organisation.(KNS)
