NIA terrorism-related court convictions in India

In late September 2026, special National Investigation Agency (NIA) courts in India handed down sentences in two separate terrorism-related cases.

In Chennai, a court sentenced four members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) to life imprisonment for the 2016 murder of C. Sasikumar, a spokesperson for Hindu Munnani. This verdict marks the NIA’s first conviction of PFI operatives since the organization was banned in 2022. The 2016 attack in Coimbatore had previously triggered widespread violence across several districts in Tamil Nadu.

In Delhi, a separate NIA court sentenced four individuals to prison terms ranging from five to six years for their involvement in the ‘Voice of Hind’ conspiracy case. The group was found to have used fake online identities to disseminate ISIS propaganda via the magazine ‘Sawt-al-Hind’ and worked to radicalize and recruit Indian youth for violent activities in conflict zones such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

On September 28, 2026, specific details emerged regarding the Delhi sentencing. Convicts Umar Nisar (alias Qasim Khurasani), Rameez Ahmad Lone, and Tanveer Ahmad Bhat received six years of rigorous imprisonment, while Afshan Parvaiz Jarabi was sentenced to five years. All four were ordered to pay fines. The NIA investigation established that the network used pseudo online identities to create and disseminate the India-centric magazine to facilitate ‘hijrat’ (migration) to ISIS conflict zones and to provide on-ground terror financing. The accused were found guilty under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and various sections of the Indian Penal Code.