A special Terrorist and Disruptive Activity (TADA) Court has awarded life term to Abul Salem.
A special Terrorist and Disruptive Activity (TADA) Court has awarded life term to Abul Salem. Another accused Karimullah Khan has also been jailed for life by the court in 1993 Mumbai Bomb Blasts Case. Tahir Merchant and Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan have been awarded death sentence. Another convict Riyaz Ahmed Siddique has been sentenced to 10 years in jail. Convicts will get set-off for the time they have served in jail, said Senior public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.
Tahir was taken aback by the verdict and wiped his wet eyes when the court awarded him with death penalty, while Firoz looked disturbed but composed.
A special TADA court had on June 16 convicted six persons, including mastermind Mustafa Dossa and Salem, in the blasts case, 24 years after the attacks left 257 people dead in the country's financial capital. It, however, let off accused Abdul Quayyum, for want of evidence. This was the second leg of the trial.
All the accused were facing multiple charges of criminal conspiracy, waging war against the government and murder of people. The first leg that concluded in 2007, the TADA court had convicted 100 accused in the case, while 23 people were acquitted.
The court had earlier held that prosecution proved Salem was one of the main conspirators and he delivered three AK-56 rifles and ammunition and hand grenades to actor Sanjay Dutt (convicted in earlier phase of trial under the Arms Act). Salem, who was close to (Dawood's brother) Anees Ibrahim and Dossa, took upon of himself to bring a part of arms and ammunition from Dighi to Mumbai, the court earlier said.
This was "vital towards achievement of the conspiracy so that the weapons could be used to terrorise and torment innocent citizens of India," the court had said.
The trial of Salem, Mustafa Dossa, Karimullah Khan, Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan, Riyaz Siddiqui, Tahir Merchant and Abdul Quayyum was separated from the main case as they were arrested subsequently.
Dossa died of cardiac arrest at J J Hospital in Mumbai, shortly after being convicted, on June 28.
The Mumbai blast of March 12, 1993, resulted in 257 fatalities and over 700 were injured. The attacks were planned by Dawood Ibrahim, India's 'most wanted' fugitive who also has his name prominently figuring on the 'most wanted' lists of the US and the Interpol.
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