Court holds two men guilty of being members of terror outfit

Two Manipuri residents have been convicted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by a Delhi court for being members of a banned terror outfit.
The court, however, freed them of the charges of indulging in illicit drug trafficking to raise money for the outfit due to lack of evidence.
Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh held the Manipur natives-- Napoleon Thockchom and Nangthanbam Anand-- guilty of the offence under section 20 (being member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which entails a maximum punishment of life term.
"Both the accused persons pleaded guilty to the offence under section 20 of UAPA and said in their statements recorded under CrPC that they were members of the banned terrorist organisation Kanglaipak Communist Party (KCP). Hence, both the accused persons are convicted," the judge said.

The court is yet to pronounce the quantum of sentence to both the convicts.
While acquitting them of the charges of raising money for the outfit by illegal drug trafficking, the court rejected their disclosure statements and said there was no evidence to prove the same.

"The disclosure statements of both the accused persons regarding indulging in trade of illegal drugs to raise money for financing activities of the banned organisation is inadmissible in evidence as there is no discovery of any such fact deposed to have been discovered in consequence of the statements of the accused...
"Thus neither of the accused can be held guilty of the offence punishable under Section 18 (conspiring or knowingly facilitating commission of a terrorist act) of the UAPA," it said.

The court also noted that both the convicts, along with four other accused, had been discharged of the offences under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act by another judge.
As per the police, it got a tip-off in March 2011 about large quantities of Ephedrine, a controlled substance, being illegally exported from Delhi to Myanmar and China via Manipur for manufacturing narcotics by Manipur-based traders and proceeds of the same were being sent to banned terrorist organisations based in the state to finance their activities.