Man gets 4 years’ RI for passing information to ISI handlers

Court awarded Khan 4 years’ imprisonment and a fine of ₹5,000 under Section 121A of the IPC, four years’ imprisonment and a fine of ₹2,000 under Section 120B and four years’ imprisonment and a fine of ₹1,000 under Section 13 of the UAPA; all the sentences will run concurrently

LUCKNOW A special NIA court in Lucknow has sentenced Wasiullah Khan to four years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI) for passing sensitive and confidential information related to the Indian Army to handlers of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Special judge (NIA) and additional sessions judge Umakant Jindal convicted Khan under Sections 121A and 120B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The court directed that all three sentences would run concurrently.

The court also took note of the fact that Khan has been in judicial custody since November 21, 2023, and ordered that the period already spent in custody be adjusted against his sentence.

According to the court’s judgment, the UP Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) received information in 2023 that handlers of Pakistan’s ISI were attempting to obtain classified information concerning the Indian Army by luring Indian citizens with money through social media and messaging platforms.

The ATS launched an investigation on the basis of the intelligence input. During the probe, Kas­ganj resident Shailesh Kumar alias Shailendra Singh Chauhan was questioned. Digital evidence recovered from his mobile phone and social media accounts helped investigators expand the probe into the wider network.

During the investigation, Khan’s role surfaced and a supplementary charge sheet was subsequently filed against him.

The special public prosecutor, appearing for the state, argued that Khan had transmitted sensitive and restricted information relating to the Indian Army to ISI handlers. Such activities, the prosecution submitted, posed a serious threat to the country’s security, sovereignty and integrity and warranted the maximum possible punishment.

Defending Khan, his counsel told the court that he came from a financially weak background and was the sole earning member of his family. The lawyer sought leniency, submitting that Khan had assured the court that he would not commit any such offence in the future and should therefore be awarded the minimum possible sentence.

In its order on the quantum of sentence, Judge Umakant Jindal observed that the punishment must be commensurate with the gravity of the offence. The court also recorded that Khan had himself admitted his guilt.

Taking into consideration his admission, the period of custody since November 21, 2023 and the overall facts and circumstances of the case, the court held that a four-year sentence was justified.

The court awarded Khan four years’ imprisonment and a fine of ₹5,000 under Section 121A of the IPC, four years’ imprisonment and a fine of ₹2,000 under Section 120B and four years’ imprisonment and a fine of ₹1,000 under Section 13 of the UAPA. All the sentences will run concurrently. In default of payment of fines, Khan will have to undergo additional imprisonment.

The supplementary charge sheet in the case, registered at the ATS police station in Lucknow, was filed on April 12, 2024. The special NIA court took cognisance of the case on April 15, 2024.

After nearly two years and three months of judicial proceedings, the court pronounced its verdict on July 31, 2026, convicting Wasiullah Khan and sentencing him to four years’ rigorous imprisonment.