A 52-year-old man, who had links with Hizbul Mujahideen and other terrorist organisations, was on Monday sentenced to 14 years’ rigorous imprisonment for raising funds for banned terror outfits by a Delhi court which noted that acts of terrorism have to be dealt with suitably at the judicial level.
Convicting Jafar Umar Khan under the now-repealed Pota, additional sessions judge (ASJ) R.K. Gauba said, “The challenge of terrorism is to be met at various levels including in the form of judicial response to those found indulging in terrorist violence or in activities connected therewith.”
Imposing a fine of `20,000 on Khan, the court said, “The convict has been found assisting terrorist outfits in collecting funds for their members. It is imperative that such foot soldiers of terrorist groups are suitably neutralised for their activities to be checked and controlled.”
Khan, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested by Delhi police’s special cell in 2003, with `4 lakhs hawala money, a pistol and live cartridges.
Defending counsel M.S. Khan sought leniency on the ground that the convict was old and his family members had been killed in terrorist violence.