The NIA special court in Kochi on Saturday sentenced five persons accused in the Mavelikara Maoist meeting case to rigorous imprisonment for three years.
Pronouncing the judgment, judge S. Santhosh Kumar awarded imprisonment to Rajesh Madhavan, 39, of Mavelikara; Gopal, 56, a native of Chennai and former scientist with the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam; Devarajan, 56 of Mayyanadu; Bahuleyan, 54, of Chirayinkeezhu; and Ajaya Kumar, 55, of Muvattupuzha.
The judge also imposed a fine of Rs ₹5,000 on each of the accused. As per the order in the first-ever conviction in cases registered against any Maoist-related group in Kerala, the accused were found guilty of offences punishable under Sections 10, 13, 38, and 39 of the UAPA Act. In case of failure to pay the fine, the accused will have to serve an additional three-month jail term. The court found that the accused were members of the Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF), a cover organisation of the CPI(Maoist).
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The accused were arrested after the police raided a meeting at Cherumadom Lodge in Mavelikara on December 29, 2012.