Ex-terrorist gets life term for murder inside J-K mosque

A court in Srinagar has sentenced an ex-terrorist to life imprisonment for the 2020 murder of a former terror outfit chief inside a mosque, observing that violence in a place of worship cannot be tolerated.

The court sentenced Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Dar (60) to life imprisonment for the murder of Abdul Gani Dar alias "Abdullah Gazali" (78), former chief of the erstwhile Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen outfit.

Gazali was found brutally murdered inside the Jamiat-e-Ahli Hadith mosque in the Gawkadal area on February 13, 2020.

Dar, hailing from the Dalgate area of Srinagar, was arrested for the murder days later.

Pronouncing the judgement on August 6, principal sessions judge, Srinagar, Haq Nawaz Zargar said such acts strike at values of harmony and communal peace, and deserve strong judicial condemnation.

The court sentenced Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Dar (60) to life imprisonment for the murder of Abdul Gani Dar alias "Abdullah Gazali" (78), former chief of the erstwhile Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen outfit.

Gazali was found brutally murdered inside the Jamiat-e-Ahli Hadith mosque in the Gawkadal area on February 13, 2020.

Dar, hailing from the Dalgate area of Srinagar, was arrested for the murder days later.

Gazali, a resident of Beerwah in Budgam district, was a co-accused in the murder of Jamiat-e-Ahli Hadith chief Maulana Showkat Shah, who was killed in a blast outside the same mosque ahead of Friday prayers on April 8, 2011.

"When anger enters a place meant for prayer, faith is wounded, peace is shattered, and the very purpose of such a sacred place stands defeated. Violence in a place of worship cannot be tolerated. It strikes at the values of harmony, mutual respect, and communal peace."

"Such acts deserve strong judicial condemnation so that a clear message is sent that the law will firmly deal with those who violate the sanctity of places of worship and disturb public peace," the judge said in his 12-page order.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the accused, with the amount recoverable in accordance with law.

The convict will be lodged at Udhampur district jail, with the period already spent in custody set off against the sentence.

It also directed that Rs 7 lakh be paid as compensation to the dependents of the deceased through the Jammu and Kashmir State Legal Services Authority, taking note of the hardship faced by the victim's family, which includes a disabled child requiring care.

The amount is to be paid within three months.

The prosecution, while seeking capital punishment for Dar, had argued that the assault took place inside a mosque and involved repeated blows with fists and kicks, including those to the victim's head and face, before his head was smashed against a cement pillar, causing him to die on the spot.

However, the court observed that while violence inside a mosque was an aggravating circumstance because a place of worship is meant to provide a peaceful and secure environment, the case did not meet the legal threshold for the "rarest of rare" category.

"Courts have a duty not only to punish the offender but also to uphold the values on which a civilised society rests. The administration of justice must convey that differences and personal grievances have no place within a house of prayer," it said.

"A firm yet just response from the court serves both the ends of justice and the larger objective of preserving public order, communal harmony, and respect for the rule of law," it said.