On Thursday, the two approvers, Badshah Khan and Murad Shah (names changed on court orders), were officially discharged from the case by the Tada court.
But the police will continue to provide protection
MUMBAI: They were the ones who helped the prosecution nail the guilty in the 1993 blasts. On Thursday, the two approvers, Badshah Khan and Murad Shah (names changed on court orders), were officially discharged from the case by the Tada court.
Both Khan and Shah played key roles in the blasts conspiracy, but their names were deleted from the case charge-sheet in 1995 when they agreed to become witnesses for the CBI and agreed to tell all.
Till Thursday, the two were technically on bail. Passing the formal discharge order, judge PD Kode said that the duo had “substantially complied” with the conditions for their pardon, that is to make a true and complete disclosure.
But Khan, who runs a kebab shop in the western suburbs, and Shah, who is a scrap dealer in central Mumbai, will continue to be guarded by gun-toting policemen. Section 306 of the CrPC provides that an accomplice, directly or indirectly concerned in or privy to an offence, can be pardoned in lieu of obtaining evidence.
The CBI states the approvers' evidence was crucial in piecing together the blasts conspiracy launched across three countries, especially since there was no direct evidence to prove the Dubai meetings of the conspirators or the weapons training they received in Pakistan.
Khan, who was involved at every stage of the blasts conspiracy, identified 33 accused. He narrated in detail how he and the others attended the Dubai meetings, participated in weapons training in Pakistan, checked out the blast sites, stuffed RDX in vehicles and even accompanied Farooq Pawale to park one of them near Sena Bhavan in Dadar, where four persons were killed in the blast. Pawale has been sentenced to death.
Shah, who was the first prosecution witness to depose before the court, disclosed that he was lured by accused Farooq Motorwala (sentenced to 13 years imprisonment) to attend a meeting in Dubai called by Tiger Memon (absconding accused). He even went to Pakistan but returned without undergoing arms training on the pretext of ill-health.
Once arrested, the prospect of pardon vis-à-vis a lifetime in jail had tempted other accused, too. The CBI finally settled on Khan and Shah.
While they may have been spared trial and conviction, the duo will now have to live a life of worry and secrecy, since they could become targets of the conspirators who are still to be booked.
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