A special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court on Thursday sentenced Abu Salem and Karimullah Osan Khan to life imprisonment in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. The duo have also been fined for Rs 2 lakh each.
The court awarded death sentence to Taher Mohd. Merchant and Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan. Riyaz Ahmed Siddiqui has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
On March 12, 1993, 12 bombs exploded at several locations in what was then Bombay, killing 257 people and injuring 713 while destroying property worth Rs 27 crore.
Twenty-four years later, the TADA court on June 16, convicted Abu Salem Abdul Qayoom Ansari, Mustafa Ahmed Umar Dossa alias Mustafa Majnu, Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan, Taher Mohd. Merchant alias Taher Taklya, Karimulla Osan Khan alias Karimullah Hussain Habib Shaikh and Riyaz Ahmed Siddiqui under sections of the TADA, the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Arms Act and the Explosives Act for perpetrating the blasts. It, however, acquitted Abdul Qayum Karim Shaikh of all charges.
Of the six, Mustafa Dossa who was lodged at the Arthur Road jail died of cardiac arrest on June 28.
The CBI brought Abu Salem and his companion Monica Bedi from Portugal in 2005 after a three-year legal battle after the then NDA government assured Portugal that the two would not get the death penalty, if extradited.
Roles of accused as per the prosecution
Abu Salem Abdul Qayoom Ansari, extradited from Portugal, is one of the main conspirators, and was very close to co-accused Anis Ibrahim Kaskar (Dawood’s brother). He facilitated the transportation and supply of arms and ammunition for terrorist activities. He has been sentenced to life and fined Rs. 2 lakh
Mustafa Ahmed Umar Dossa alias Mustafa Majnu was extradited from the UAE. He acted to achieve the object of a conspiracy hatched in Dubai to take revenge for the demolition of the Babri Masjid, for which arms and ammunition were sent to India. Convicted, not sentenced as he passed away in June.
Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan , a loyal partner of Dossa, had knowledge of all criminal activities of the gang. He was a participant of the main conspiracy from the beginning and, therefore, was one among the main conspirators. He has been sentenced to death
Taher Mohd. Merchant alias Taher Taklya conspired, advocated and knowingly facilitated and commissioned terrorist acts and acts preparatory to terrorists acts. He has been sentenced to death
Karimullah Osan Khan alias Karimullah Hussain Habib Shaikh knew about the deadly effects of the RDX, arms and ammunition, and facilitated the landing of the material. He has been sentenced to life and fined Rs. 2 lakh
Riyaz Ahmed Siddiqui was working in close proximity with the main conspirators towards achieving the objective of the conspiracy, therefore placing him a rung well up in the category . He has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment
Abdul Qayoom Karim Shaikh smuggled weapons into India at a time when Bombay was already engulfed in unrest. The prosecution failed to prove the charge of conspiracy against him. Hence, acquitted.
(This news report was first published in The Hindu online edition)