The Principal Sessions Court in Kollam on Thursday awarded life imprisonment to three accused in the Kollam Collectorate explosion case. A fine of Rs.30,000 each was also imposed on them.

District Principal Sessions Court Judge G Gopakumar sentenced each of the three convicts — Abbas Ali (first accused) from Madurai’s Ismail Puram, Shamsun Karim Raja (second accused) from Madurai’s K Pudur, and Dawood Sulaiman (third accused) from Madurai’s Pallivasal — to life imprisonment for offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act(UAPA).

Advertisement

The convicts were found guilty under sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and 427 (causing damage valued at Rs. 50 or more). They were also convicted under provisions of the Explosives Act, Prevention of Destruction of Public Property Act, and Sections 16B, 18, and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Earlier on Tuesday, the court found these three men guilty.The convicted individuals were found to be members of the Base Movement, a group with alleged ties to the terror organization Al Qaeda. A fourth accused, Shamsuddin, also from Madurai, was acquitted due to insufficient evidence linking him to the incident.

The blast occurred on June 15, 2016, when a bomb hidden inside a tiffin box exploded in an unused jeep belonging to the Labour Department, which was parked near the Munsif Court in Kollam. The accused had used an improvised explosive device (IED) with a time mechanism, which they planted in the unused Labour Department jeep. One person sustained serious injuries in the explosion.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested the suspects in 2017, leading to charges under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosives Act, and the Indian Penal Code.