By: Akanksha
On Saturday, a special court in Mumbai designated under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act sentenced 46-year-old Pune-based consulting anesthesiologist Dr. Adnan Ali Sarkar to six years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 65,000. Operating under Special NIA Judge Abhay A. Joglekar, the court convicted Sarkar after he voluntarily pleaded guilty to participating in a 2023 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror conspiracy case aimed at threatening India’s unity, integrity, security and sovereignty. Arrested from Pune’s Kondhwa area on July 27, 2023, Sarkar admitted to conspiring to recruit youth, propagate ISIS ideology, and plan terror activities in India, choosing to change his initial not-guilty plea due to remorse and the severe financial hardship his incarceration caused his dependent family.
The NIA confirmed the conviction in a statement issued on November 7, 2026. It stated that Sarkar was convicted under Sections 13, 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), along with Sections 201 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court sentenced him to a maximum of six years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a total fine of Rs. 65,000. The NIA also confirmed that the trial against the five remaining accused would continue.
Dr. Adnan Ali Sarkar, 46, is a resident of Pune’s Kondhwa area and a qualified medical practitioner who holds an MBBS and an MD in anesthesiology from BJ Medical College, Pune. Before his arrest, he had been practicing as a consulting anesthetist at a leading private hospital and had no reported criminal antecedents.
As reported by Hindustan Times, the NIA’s case against Sarkar dates back to a 2015 investigation into alleged ISIS activities in Maharashtra. His name surfaced during a probe into a meeting allegedly held by ISIS operatives in Pune in December 2015. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad questioned him in 2016 but did not arrest him at the time. The NIA later registered the current case in Mumbai on June 28, 2023, following information from the Ministry of Home Affairs, and arrested Sarkar from Pune’s Kondhwa area in July 2023.
According to the prosecution, Sarkar and his co-accused were ISIS members who actively supported the proscribed terrorist organization and hatched a criminal conspiracy to further its terrorist activities with the intention to threaten the unity, integrity, security, and sovereignty of India. In December 2023, the agency filed a charge sheet against Sarkar and five others, alleging a larger conspiracy involving organized international networks, international linkages, and instructions from foreign-based ISIS handlers.
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The NIA alleged that Sarkar and the accused conducted meetings and created WhatsApp and social media groups to conduct online lectures on radical ideology related to “violent and armed jihad” and “khilafat” under the pretext of "religious preaching” to radicalize and recruit vulnerable Muslim youth and raise funds.
The group was also allegedly used to share material and do-it-yourself (DIY) kits to train recruits in manufacturing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and small weapons. Furthermore, the charge sheet referred to material concerning migration to Syria and the creation and circulation of media content for extremist ISIS propaganda publications, including magazines titled “Voice of Hind” and “Voice of Khurasan.”
When the special court framed charges in the case on June 25 this year, Sarkar had initially pleaded not guilty. However, on October 28, he approached the special court and moved an application seeking permission to record his voluntary plea of guilt. Upon pleading guilty, an accused gives up the right to a full trial, and a guilty plea is often placed before the court as a mitigating circumstance at the stage of sentencing.
Sarkar expressed remorse and told the court that he was “repenting his wrong deeds” and had decided to plead guilty keeping his own future and that of his family in mind. He sought the minimum sentence permissible under the law on humanitarian and mitigating grounds, or requested that the period he had already spent in jail be treated as his sentence.
Sarkar submitted that he was the sole breadwinner of his dependent family, comprising his elderly parents, wife, and four children, who were facing severe financial hardship following his incarceration. As quoted by The Indian Express, the judge noted Sakar’s submission that his incarceration had placed an “onerous burden” on his family, causing it "pecuniary embarrassment.”
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On October 28, the court gave Sarkar seven days to reconsider his decision and understand the legal consequences of pleading guilty. On Friday, November 6, Sarkar appeared before the court and remained firm on his decision despite being informed that he could be convicted and sentenced, confirming that he had filed the application of his own volition after legal advice.
After scrutinizing the records, Special Judge Abhay A. Joglekar observed that the pea was “unequivocal, voluntary and made with a clear understanding of the consequences,” and “safely inferred” that Sarkar had pleaded guilty “without any force, coercion, threat, inducement or undue influence.” The Times of India quoted the judge saying, “This court has satisfied itself that the accused has pleaded guilty voluntarily. This court also asked the accused… about any fear or favor or pressure on him for pleading guilty. The accused… firmly neglected the same.”
While the defense sought leniency and the NIA prosecutor left the sentence to the court’s discretion, Special Judge Joglekar convicted Sarkar under Sections 13, 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), along with Sections 201 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The maximum sentence applicable in the case was life imprisonment. The judge noted the following legal provisions under which the accused was tried and convicted:
UAPA Section 13 (unlawful activities): Carries punishment up to five years with or without a fine.
UAPA Section 18 (conspiracy relating to terrorist act): Has a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and may extend to life imprisonment.
UAPA Sections 20, 38, and 39 (membership of and support given to a terrorist gang or organization): Do not prescribe a minimum sentence, leaving punishment to the court’s discretion; Section 20 may extend to life imprisonment, while Sections 38 and 39 extend to 10 years with a fine.
IPC Section 201 and Section 120-B: Convicted for causing the disappearance of evidence (Section 201 IPC) and criminal conspiracy (Section 120-B IPC), which may be sentenced separately because conspiracy is an independent offence.
The court awarded Sarkar separate prison terms ranging from three to six years for the offences. Because the sentences will run concurrently, his effective jail term is six years of rigorous imprisonment, along with a total fine of Rs. 65,000. Since he has been in custody since July 27, 2023, the court granted him a set-off for the period already served.
Concurrent sentences mean that the separate prison terms are served at the same time rather than consecutively. The set-off means that the period Sarkar has already spent in custody since July 27, 2023, will be counted towards his six-year sentence.
Accepting Sarkar’s guilty plea, the judge noted that while this was Sarkar’s “first offence,” the charges against him were “quite serious in nature.” Quoting Special Judge Joglekar, The Indian Express reported: “Considering the gravity of the offence, undoubtedly, the applicant/accused has been incarcerated since July 27, 2023, yet considering the circumstances and the role… there should be deterrent qua a message to the society, wherein such an act should not crop up within the society in any form, more especially when it concerns national security being put at stake by such elements.”
The special court concluded that accused No. 5 (Sarkar) will be required to undergo such punishment propelling a stringent message to such antisocial elements.
While the court convicted Sarkar, it directed that the trial will continue against the five remaining co-accused in the case, all of whom remain in judicial custody. According to The Times of India, the other accused named in the case are Mumbai-based Tabish Nasser Siddiqui, Padgha natives Zulfikar Ali Barodawala (alias Lalabhai/Labalhai), Sharjeet Shaikh and Aakif Atteque Nachan as well as Pune-based Zubair Noor Mohammad Shaikh (also known as Abu Nusaibah/Abu Nusaiba).
(Rh/APC/MSM)