1993 Bombay blast: Two convicts sentenced to death Abu Salem gets life term

Mangalore Today News Network

Mumbai, Sep 7 2017 DH News: A special Mumbai anti-terror court on Thursday sentenced convicts - Tahir Merchant alias Tahir Taklya, a close associate of Karachi-based underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, and Feroze Abdul Rashid Kahan - to death in the 12 March 1993, serial blasts case.

Notorious gangster Abu Salem, who was extradited from Portugal, was given a life term. Karimullah Khan was also given a life term by the special court.

Riyaz Siddiqui got a 10-year jail term.

Additional sessions judge GA Sanap, who presides over a special court set up under Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), announced the sentences on Thursday.

Judge Sanap had completed the arguments on quantum of sentence on 10 August.

On 16 June, the court had convicted six persons - Mustafa Dossa alias Mustafa Majnu, Abu Salem, Karimullah Khan, Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan, Riyaz Siddiqui and Tahir Merchant alias Tahir Taklya.

The seventh accused, Abdul Qayyum, was acquitted because of lack of evidence.

On 28 June, Dossa’s health deteriorated and he was shifted to Sir JJ Hospital, where he passed away of a massive heart attack.

During the course of arguments, the CBI had sought death sentence for Dossa, Karimullah, Firoz and Tahir and life term for Riyaz.

Since Abu Salem was extradited from Portugal - and one of the conditions was that he would not be given death penalty - the prosecution had not sought capital punishment.

As many as 257 persons were killed and 713 others were injured and property to the tune of Rs 27 crore was damaged as multiple blasts ripped through the commercial capital of on 12 March, 1993.

This was the second leg of the trial of the 12 March, 1993 serial blasts case. In the first leg, as many as 100 accused were convicted and 23 were acquitted by the then special TADA judge PD Kode. As many as 12 of them were given capital punishments. However, the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of 11 of them to life except for Yakub Memon, who was hanged to death couple of years ago.

The 12 March, 1993 serial blasts case is often considered as bigger than the Nuremberg trial.