Gujarat : Three Convicted of Espionage, Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Leaking Indian Army Intelligence to ISI

Ahmedabad, July 17 - In a groundbreaking ruling, the special court of Ahmedabad Sessions Court has sentenced three individuals to life imprisonment for their involvement in transmitting classified information of the Indian Army to Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI. This marks the first conviction in Gujarat under the Official Secrets Act. The convicted individuals, Sirajuddin and Mohammad Ayyub from Jalalpur in Ahmedabad, and Naushad Ali from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, were apprehended by the District Crime Branch of Ahmedabad in 2012.

Presiding Judge AR Patel explained in the verdict that while the convicts could have faced the death penalty or life imprisonment under IPC 121, the absence of harm caused to any citizens of the country rendered it a non-rarest of rare case. Consequently, the death penalty was not imposed. The accused were handed down life imprisonment for offenses under Sections 121, 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 10 years imprisonment under Section 123, 14 years imprisonment under Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act 1923, and Section 66 of the IT Act 2000. Additionally, each convict was fined Rs 5,000.

Public prosecutor Bharat Patni disclosed that 75 witnesses were examined during the trial. According to the case details, Sirajuddin, a resident of Jamalpur in Ahmedabad, had traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, in 2007, where he met an ISI agent. Meanwhile, Naushad Ali from Rajasthan visited Hyderabad in Pakistan in 2009, where he encountered ISI agents named Taimoor and Tahir. The Crime Branch arrested Sirajuddin and Mohammad Ayyub, also known as Shakir Shaikh, while they were en route to collect money. The police also obtained screenshots from cyber cafes where the accused had withdrawn funds. The convicts received monetary compensation in exchange for sharing sensitive information about the Indian Army with the ISI. They received a total of Rs 200,000, including Rs 196,000 through Western Union money transfer and Rs 6,000 through MoneyGram.

During the investigation of Sirajuddin's residence in Ahmedabad, a map of Ahmedabad Cantonment was discovered. Similarly, Naushad, from Rajasthan, provided intelligence on Jodhpur Cantonment and the BSF Headquarters to the ISI in exchange for financial gain. Over a period of three years, all three individuals conducted reconnaissance of military camps in Rajasthan, Ahmedabad, and Gandhinagar, forwarding their findings to the ISI.

This significant conviction highlights the severity with which the Indian judicial system treats breaches of national security, emphasizing the consequences faced by those engaged in espionage activities. The verdict is expected to serve as a precedent for similar cases, sending a strong message about the country's commitment to safeguarding its defense and intelligence apparatus.