Special NIA court sentences 7 accused, including Lashkar-e-Taiba member T Naseer, in Bengaluru prison radicalisation case: Read what the NIA court said

A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi sentenced 7 accused, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) T Naseer, in connection with the Bengaluru prison radicalisation case. In a press release dated April 22, 2026, the accused, T Naseer, Syed Suhail Khan, Mohammed Umar, Zahid Tabrez, Syed Mudassir Pasha, Mohammed Faisal Rabbani and Salman Khan have been granted 7 years rigorous imprisonment. A fine of 48,00 has also been imposed on all the accused, excluding T Naseer. The verdict comes after the seven accused pleaded guilty before the special NIA court in March this year. “The accused had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges filed by the NIA in the case RC-28/2023/NIA/DLI- relating to a LeT-linked terror conspiracy hatched inside the Parapanna Agrahara Central Prisons, Bengaluru, by Naseer,” the NIA press release stated. Special court has sentenced 7 accused persons, including mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) member T Nasset, to 7 years imprisonment in the 2023 Bengaluru prison radicalisation case. Efforts are on to trace absconding accused. pic.twitter.com/QPLKxFZkZ3— NIA India (@NIA_India) April 22, 2026 According to the NIA, the accused had conspired to identify, recruit, train, convert and radicalise gullible youth lodged in prison to execute terror activities in India. They planned to carry out strikes in Bengaluru, Karnataka, as part of the anti-India agenda of the Pakistan-based terror outfit, Lashkar-e-Taiba. The conspiracy came to light after a case was registered by the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) in July 2023 following the seizure of arms, ammunition, hand grenades and walkie-talkies from the possession of seven of the accused persons. The seizure took place when all seven accused were present in the house of one of the accused. Later in October 2023, the investigation into the case was taken over by the NIA, which led to the exposure of a larger conspiracy to facilitate the escape of Naseer, a life convict in several terror cases, while on his way from the prison to court. Naseer was an under-trial prisoner in the 2008 Bengaluru serial blast cases at the time. A total of 12 individuals, including LeT terrorist T Naseer, were chargesheeted by the NIA in the terror conspiracy case. While 11 of the accused were arrested by the NIA, one of the accused, identified as Junaid Ahmed, was declared an absconder. One of the accused, named Salman Khan, was arrested after being extradited from the Republic of Rwanda after coordinated efforts of NIA and the agencies concerned in Rwanda. The NIA agency has been working to track and arrest Junaid Ahmed. Details of the punishment granted to all the accused The details of the sentences awarded to the accused by the special NIA court are as follows: For conviction under Section 120B of the IPC, the accused (numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8), T Naseer, Syed Suhail Khan, Mohammed Umar, Zahid Tabrez, Syed Mudassir Pasha, Mohammed Faisal Rabbani, and Salman Khan are granted 7 years’ rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of 2000 each. In case any of the accused fails to pay the fine, he will have to undergo an additional rigorous imprisonment of 2 months. All seven accused were also convicted by the special NIA court under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and were sentenced to 7 years’ rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of 5000 each. On failing to pay the fine, they will have to undergo a rigorous imprisonment of 2 months. They were also convicted under Section 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and were sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 7 years and are liable to pay a fine of 5,000/- each, for the default of which, they will undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 2 months. The special NIA court also convicted T Naseer, Syed Suhail Khan, Mohammed Umar, Zahid Tabrez, Syed Mudassir Pasha, Mohammed Faisal Rabbani, and Salman Khan under Section 38 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and sentenced them to undergo 7 years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed 5000 fine each. On failing to pay the fine, the accused will have to spend an additional two months in rigorous imprisonment. They were sentenced to 7 years’ rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of 5000 each for committing an offence punishable under Section 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. In default of payment of the fine amount, the accused will have to undergo 2 months’ rigorous imprisonment. The court convicted (accused 3,4,5,6,7, and 8) Syed Suhail Khan, Mohammed Umar, Zahid Tabrez, Syed Mudassir Pasha, Mohammed Faisal Rabbani, and Salman Khan under Section 23 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and sentenced them to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 7 years and pay a fine of 5000 each. In case of default of payment of the fine, the accused will undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 2 months. They were convicted and sentenced to undergo 5 years’ rigorous imprisonment along with a 3000 fine each under Section 25(1B) of the Arms Act, 1959. On failing to pay the fine amount, the accused will have to spend another 2 months in rigorous imprisonment. The court also convicted the accused Syed Suhail Khan, Mohammed Umar, Zahid Tabrez, Syed Mudassir Pasha, Mohammed Faisal Rabbani, and Salman Khan under Section 6 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and sentenced them to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 7 years and imposed a fine of Rs. 3,000/- each. On failing to pay the fine, the accused will undergo 2 months’ rigorous imprisonment. Accused T Naseer was convicted by the court under Section 201 of the IPC and was ordered to undergo 2 years rigorous imprisonment and pay a fine of 2000. In case of default of fine, he will have to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of two months. He was also sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 07 years and is liable to pay a fine of 5,000/- for the offence punishable under Section 18B of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. In default of payment of the fine, he shall undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of two months. The NIA court convictedMohammed Umar and Zahid Tabrez (accused 4 and 5 under) Section 17 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and sentenced them to 7 years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of 5000 each, in default of which, they will have to undergo 2 months of rigorous imprisonment. The court convicted (accused 5) Zahid Tabrez under Section 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, sentencing him to 7 years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposing a fine of 3000. On failing to pay the fine, he will have to undergo 2 months of rigorous imprisonment. The NIA court said the substantial sentences imposed on T Naseer, Syed Suhail Khan, Mohammed Umar, Zahid Tabrez, Syed Mudassir Pasha, Mohammed Faisal Rabbani, and Salman Khan will run concurrently. The period of detention undergone by them in judicial custody will be set off against the term of imprisonment imposed, as provided under Section 428 of the Cr.P.C. Regarding T Naseer, who has already been undergoing a life sentence granted by the Karnataka High Court, the court said that the sentence granted by it to him will run concurrently to his previous sentence. The court added that the fine imposed on the accused shall be used in defraying the expenses of the prosecution. How the terrorists met in prison and hatched terror conspiracies As per the NIA investigation, the accused met one another in 2017 when T Naseer, who was involved in multiple blast cases, came in contact with the other accused when they were all lodged in Bengaluru Prison. Accused Salam was in jail for a POCSO case, and others were in for a murder case. Naseer assessed the potential of all the accused for the purpose of radicalising and recruiting them into the LeT and managed to get them shifted to his barracks. Initially, he radicalised and recruited Junaid and Salman to further the agenda of the LeT, and subsequently, he conspired with the two of them to radicalise and recruit others. After being released from jail, Junaid reportedly fled the country after committing some more offences. He sent funds to his co-accused from abroad to promote LeT activities within and outside the prison. He plotted with Salman to deliver arms, ammunition, hand grenades and walkie-talkies to the others as part of a plot to carry out a ‘fidayeen’ attack and help Naseer escape from police custody en route to court. Junaid also instructed his co-accused to steal used police caps for the attack and to commit arson on government buses as a practice run. The plot was foiled with the seizure of the arms and ammunition by the police.