Guwahati, June 8: "I leave the matter of my sentence to the judicial wisdom of this court," is what United National Liberation Front (UNLF) leader R.K. Meghen, alias Sana Yaima, said when special NIA court judge M.K. Bhattacharjee asked him whether he would seek leniency.

The judge heard the 18 people - accused of being members of the UNLF and conspiring against the country - after the court declared that all were guilty under 11 different sections of the IPC and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Subsequently, the sentences were pronounced.

The 18 accused were arrested in 2010 and undergoing trial.

When the judge sentenced Sana Yaima to 10 years' imprisonment, the leader did not lose his composure.

At the age of 70 and after spending six years in jail, Sana Yaima remained as committed as before. "It is we who shall shape our future," he told this reporter.

"Today I remember the remark of Cuban president Fidel Castro. While being tried for rebellion, he told the court that history shall absolve him. Castro was fighting against the repressive regime of a dictator," Sana Yaima told the judge after the sentencing.

After hearing the 10-year sentence, he said, "I don't have any comment. This is their (India) court." He made it clear that he had not changed his stand of not accepting "India's system".

Asked why he did not seek leniency, the UNLF leader said, "If I seek leniency, it means that I am borrowing life."

In a white full-sleeved shirt, grey trousers, black leather shoes and a black belt, Sana Yaima sat calmly and attentively throughout the over six-hour-long proceedings. This included pronouncement of verdict and sentence.

Sometimes, he was on his feet to listen to the judge and also interacted with the other accused. At one point of time, another convict - Landhoni Devi - fainted and a doctor was called in.

Though Sana Yaima wore a smile, he looked as determined as ever.

During the hearing, he reminded the judge that Manipur won freedom from the British when the latter left India in 1947 and how Manipur was "annexed" by India after forcing the then king, Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh, to sign the merger agreement under house arrest.

Asked how he maintained his health, Sana Yaima said he walked for a couple of hours daily in the morning and evening inside the jail. "In addition to this, we plant trees inside the jail," he said.

A large number of police, CRPF and SSB personnel were deployed in and around the court complex.