The Supreme Court on Friday said there was a need to impose stricter punishment on those infiltrating into the country from neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh.

"Considering the large number of infiltrators who come to India without valid document, there is a need for imposing stricter sentence," a bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and P P Naolekar observed, while dismissing the appeal filed by a Pakistani infiltrator Habib Ibrahim.

The bench rejected the plea of Ibrahim that he had illegally entered India to meet his wife and children in Jaipur and was ignorant of the country's immigration laws.

"Appellant's (Ibrahim) feeble plea that he did not know that he is required to be in possession of valid document is without substance. Otherwise, he would not have obtained any transit visa for Nepal," the apex court observed.

Ibrahim was arrested by the Rajasthan Police on January 13, 2004 at Vidhadhar Nagar Bus Stop. He was found to be in possession of a Pakistani Passport and an expired Nepalese visa, but he did not have any documents (visa) to justify his presence in the country.

A sessions court in Jaipur convicted Ibrahim under Sections 3 read with Section 14 of the Foreigners Act and sentenced him to five years imprisonment besides a fine of Rs 25,000.

The Rajasthan High Court dismissed his plea and upheld the conviction and sentence following which he filed the appeal in the apex court.