Mumbai: In a fresh round of judgements delivered 24 years after the incident took place, the Terrorist and Disruptive Activity (TADA) court on Thursday sentenced convicts Karimullah Khan and Abu Salem to life imprisonment in the 1993 Mumbai blast case.
In all seven accused were sentenced on multiple charges which included criminal conspiracy, waging war against the Government of India and murder.
In the second leg of the trial – the first having concluded in 2007 when the TADA court had convicted 100 accused and while acquitting 23 people – the court has awarded death sentence to convicts Tahir Merchant and Feroz Khan.
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.
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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.
Convict Riyaz Siddiqui has been sentenced to 10 years.
Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said the convicts will get set-off for the time they have served in jail. Convicts have been given sentences for different offences, with all punishments will run concurrently.
On June 16, 2017, the court had convicted six people, including the mastermind of the 1993 serial blasts Mustafa Dossa and Abu Salem. It, however, let off accused Abdul Quayyum, for want of evidence.
The Mumbai blast had resulted in deaths of 257 and injured 713 people. 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 JJ Hospital in Mumbai, shortly after being convicted, on June 28.
(With inputs from Agencies)