SC Notice To Govt On SIMI Ex-Chief Nagori's Sedition Plea

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a notice to the state government in response to a plea filed by Safdar Nagori, former chief of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), seeking clarity on the status of his pending appeal against a sedition conviction.

Nagori was convicted in 2017 by a Bhopal district court, along with 11 others, and sentenced to life imprisonment for sedition, under Section 124A of the IPC, and other serious charges including unlawful activities, promoting enmity and possession of explosives and arms. The arrests were made by a Special Task Force in March 2008.

Nagori has served sentences for all charges, except the sedition conviction, which carries a life term. His appeal against the sedition charge is pending before the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Appearing for Nagori, senior advocate Shadan Farsat submitted that the High Court had already heard final arguments, but the judgment was held back in light of the Supreme Court’s earlier stay on the application of Section 124A, amid a broader legal reconsideration of the sedition law.

Farsattold the bench that Nagori has been in jail for over 17 years and is currently lodged at Central Jail, Bhopal, awaiting the court’s final decision.