Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday acquitted three men, including a Pakistani national, who had been serving life sentences for their alleged involvement in a 2012 terror conspiracy in Bengaluru. The court identified procedural errors in the prosecution’s sanction, leading to their acquittal under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

According to Kashmir Media Service, the division bench of Justice Sreenivas Harish Kumar and Justice J M Khazi found faults in the procedural sanction granted by the state government, which formed the basis for their decision. The individuals acquitted are Syed Abdul Rehman from Bengaluru, Afsar Pasha alias Khushiruddin from Chintamani in Kolar district, and Mohammed Fahad Khoya from Karachi, Pakistan.

While the court cleared them of the charges related to the terror conspiracy purportedly planned within Bengaluru central prison, it upheld Syed Abdul Rehman’s conviction under the Arms Act of 1959 and the Explosive Substances Act of 1908 for illegal possession of a revolver and concealing explosives. Consequently, Rehman’s sentence was revised to 10 years of imprisonment.

The decision to acquit Pasha and Khoya came after the bench reviewed their petitions challenging their convictions and life sentences handed down in 2023. However, Rehman’s sentence was only modified with respect to the lesser offenses.