Walliullah after the sentence. (Naeem Ansari)

Lucknow, Aug. 26: A Varanasi blast suspect was today sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment under the Arms Act, but acquitted of sedition charges as police failed to prove the case.

Mohammad Walliullah, who the sleuths claim is a key Harkat-ul Jihadi Islami (Huji) activist, was fined Rs 1.05 lakh in two cases.

The 35-year-old from Phulpur — once the constituency of Jawaharlal Nehru in Allahabad district — is suspected to have been running one of the biggest Huji sleeper modules in Uttar Pradesh.

But during prosecution, the police failed to establish that the man, who is a key accused in the Varanasi blasts, was trying to wage a war against the country, although RDX and detonators were seized from him when he was arrested on April 5, 2006, in Lucknow.

The police had alleged that Walliullah had harboured terrorists involved in the Varanasi blasts on March 7, 2006, which killed 21 people. He had also allegedly held a series of meetings with Bangladesh-based Huji workers in Phulpur, where he was an imam. Walliullah was earlier a field worker — an ansar — of the Students’ Islamic Movement of India.

The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force claimed that Walliullah had provided shelter to other accused persons in the blasts case and supplied pressure cookers and explosives to them at Allahabad.

Later, he fled to Haidergarh, about 50km from Lucknow, when the explosions rocked Varanasi. He was arrested in Lucknow when he was returning from Haidergarh.

Cases under Sections 121, 121(A), 122, 124(A), 153(A), 213 and 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code, which charged him with sedition, were filed against Walliullah. There were also cases slapped against him under the Arms Act.

Eight witnesses appeared for the prosecution and just one came up for defence.

The police are now hoping that Walliullah would be convicted for sedition in the Varanasi blasts case, trial for which is on in the temple town.

Today, Walliullah was fined Rs 1 lakh and handed the 10-year prison term for trying to cause unrest in the country. In the second case — for involving other people in arms smuggling — he was fined Rs 5,000. The maximum prison term under the Arms Act is 10 years.

Additional sessions judge, Lucknow, Samsher Tripathi, read out the sentence saying the accused had tried to cause unrest by smuggling in sophisticated explosives. He was charged under Section 3/25 of the Arms Act.