Mumbai, July 20 -- Forty-three Somali nationals were on Monday sentenced to life imprisonment by a special sessions court after they pleaded guilty to charges of piracy, kidnapping, attempted murder and other offences in connection with the hijacking of two merchant vessels and holding their crew members hostage for ransom.
Special Judge Sanjay Dige awarded the sentence in two separate piracy cases after convicting the accused under the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including attempted murder and kidnapping.
The 43 convicts had on July 7 admitted their guilt before the court and sought a lenient sentence. They told the court that they ...