MUMBAI, Nov. 8 -- A Pune-based anaesthetist accused of being part of an ISIS recruitment and radicalisation network was sentenced to six years' rigorous imprisonment by a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Saturday after pleading guilty to conspiring to further the activities of the banned terror outfit. Dr Adnan Ali Sarkar, 46, who was arrested in July 2023, admitted to conspiring to recruit youth, propagate ISIS ideology and plan terror activities in India. Special judge Abhay A Joglekar convicted him after satisfying himself that his guilty plea was voluntary and unequivocal. Sarkar, who holds an MBBS and an MD in anaesthesiology from BJ Medical College, Pune, had initially pleaded not guilty when charges were framed against him on June 25. However, on October 28, he approached the court seeking permission to change his plea, citing the financial hardship his incarceration had caused his family. He told the court that his wife, four children and elderly parents were dependent on him. The court gave him seven days to reconsider his decision and understand the legal consequences of pleading guilty. On Friday, Sarkar appeared before the court and reiterated his decision despite being informed that he could be convicted and sentenced. The court recorded that his plea was made without any "force, coercion, threat, inducement or undue influence". In its order on Saturday, the court noted that Sarkar had expressed remorse, saying he was "repenting his wrong deeds" and had decided to plead guilty keeping his future and that of his family in mind. Observing that the offences were serious, the court said the sentence must send a strong deterrent message, particularly in matters concerning national security. "There should be a deterrent qua a message to the society, wherein such act should not crop up within society in any form," it said. The court awarded Sarkar separate prison terms ranging from three to six years for the offences. However, as the sentences will run concurrently, his effective jail term will be six years. Since he has been in custody since July 27, 2023, he will get a set-off for the period already served. The court also imposed a fine of Rs.65,000. 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 arrested him from Pune's Kondhwa in July 2023, alleging that he was involved in propagating ISIS ideology and recruiting vulnerable youth. In December 2023, the agency filed a charge sheet against Sarkar and five others, alleging a larger conspiracy with international links and the involvement of foreign-based ISIS handlers. According to the NIA, the accused used social media platforms and online lectures to propagate violent jihad, recruit members and promote the outfit's activities. The charge sheet also referred to material concerning migration to Syria and ISIS propaganda publications, including Voice of Hind and Voice of Khurasan. The trial against the five co-accused will continue....