SRINAGAR, Sept. 1 -- The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has convicted former SHO Sogam, Ghulam Rasool Wani, for criminal conspiracy in the 2003 Kupwara fidayeen attack, sentencing him to life imprisonment while upholding the acquittal of his co-accused.

Division Bench of Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice Sanjay Parihar, while partly allowing the state's appeal observed, "The trial court's approach was perverse and erroneous. The prosecution evidence clearly establishes that the then SHO Wani, fully aware of the militant's identity and objectives, permitted him to carry out the attack, thereby tacitly consenting to the killing of security personnel."

The court noted that Wani conspired with a Pakistani militant, Mohammad Ibra...