1993 Bombay blasts: Non-bailable arrest warrant issued against Zaibunissa Kazi

Mangalore Today/CNN-IBN

Mumbai, May 17: A TADA court on Friday issued a non-bailable warrant against 1993 Bombay blasts co-accused Zaibunissa Kazi after she failed to surrender in the court on Friday, as per scheduled. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will execute this warrant.

The daughter of 70-year-old Zaibunissa was likely to seek a day more for her mother to surrender citing health reasons. The Supreme Court had earlier granted four weeks time to Zaibunnisa to surrender in the court to serve the remaining sentence.

 

Zaibunnissa had in April submitted a petition in the apex court saying that she should not be forced to surrender and serve the remaining part of the sentence till the President decides on her clemency plea. But the Supreme Court rejected the plea.

Zaibunnisa had mentioned in her petition that she was being treated for kidney cancer and her condition was so bad that she not only required constant medical attention but also needed an attendant. She had said that she would not be able to survive in jail. She had said that a petition under Article 72 has been filed on her behalf before the President, seeking pardon of her punishment.

The court also issued non-bailable arrest warrant against Sharif (Dada) Parkar, who is over 80 years old, and had been hospitalised following chest pain. He was supposed to surrender before the court on Thursday, same as actor Sanjay Dutt. His doctors had advised him angioplasty procedure, his lawyer Farhana Shah told the Judge GA Sanap.

Zaibunissa’s lawyer said she had been advised to take certain medical tests and she needed time till May 20. The TADA judge, however, said it would not be possible for him to consider these pleas as the deadline had been fixed by the apex court.

Prosecutor Deepak Salvi moved an application seeking non-bailable arrest warrants against the two for not following the Supreme Court’s order.

The court accepted the plea and issued non-bailable warrants. Parkar had played a role in organising the landing of arms and RDX in Raigad district at the instance of Tiger Memon.

The RDX was used in the March 1993 serial blasts. He had also arranged a conspiracy meeting in Raigad. Zaibunissa was convicted for allowing the co-accused to keep some weapons at her house for a while.