KOLLAM: The Principal Sessions Court here on Thursday sentenced three individuals to life imprisonment for their roles in the 2016 Kollam Collectorate blast.

The convicted individuals—Abbas Ali, 31; Shamsun Karim Raja, 33; and Dawood Sulaiman, 27—were each fined Rs 30,000 in addition to their prison sentences. Principal Sessions Judge G. Gopakumar delivered the verdict. All three convicts are residents of Madurai district in Tamil Nadu.

A fourth accused, Shamsuddin, also from Madurai, was acquitted due to insufficient evidence linking him to the incident.

The convicts were found guilty under sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and 427 (causing damage valued at Rs. 50 or more). They were also convicted under provisions of the Explosives Act, Prevention of Destruction of Public Property Act, and Sections 16B, 18, and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

On last Tuesday, the court found these three men guilty, concluding the trial nearly a year after the incident. The convicted individuals were found to be members of the Base Movement, a group with alleged ties to the terror organization Al Qaeda.

The blast occurred on June 15, 2016, at the Kollam civil station. The accused had used an improvised explosive device (IED) with a time mechanism, which they planted in an unused Labour Department jeep parked near the Kollam Munsiff Court. One person sustained serious injuries in the explosion. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested the suspects in 2017, leading to charges under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosives Act, and the Indian Penal Code.