A special TADA court is likely to pronounce its judgement on Friday in the second leg of the trial in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. The trial involves seven accused, including gangster Abu Salem. The terror attacks left 257 people dead, 713 seriously injured and destroyed property worth ₹27 crore.
In the trial’s first leg that concluded in 2007, the TADA court had convicted 100 accused in the case, while 23 people were acquitted. The trial of the seven accused — Abu Salem, Mustafa Dossa, Karimullah Khan, Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan, Riyaz Siddiqui, Tahir Merchant and Abdul Quayyum —was separated from the first leg as they were arrested at the time of its conclusion.
In September 2006, 20 of them were awarded life sentences, while 12 were sentenced to death. In 2013, 10 of the 12 awaiting capital punishment had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
The hearing in the case was delayed as three petitions were pending with the Supreme Court, one each filed by Dossa and Salem, and another by CBI. The trial resumed in 2012 and concluded this March.
The case involving the seven accused was first heard by Judge Pramod Kode, who had also delivered the judgement in the trial’s first leg. Later, Judge D.U. Mullah presided over the TADA court. The case is now being heard by Judge G.A. Sanap. During the trial in 2013, the Supreme Court pronounced a judgement on the appeal filed by all accused, wherein key conspirator Yakub Memon’s death sentence was confirmed, while those of the others (all bomb planters) were commuted to life imprisonment.
In all, the court recorded statements of around 750 prosecution witnesses and 50 witnesses. Three accused including Salem confessed to their crime during investigations by the CBI into the blasts case. Actor Sanjay Dutt, who received an illegal firearm from Salem, and many others surrendered before the TADA court in May 2013 after the SC upheld their conviction.
Yakub Memon was executed on July 30, 2015, after several pleas by him seeking clemency were rejected, including at the post-midnight hearing by SC on the day he was hanged.
On March 12, 1993, Mumbai witnessed an unprecedented terrorist attack when 12 bombs went off in series in a span of two hours at the Bombay Stock Exchange, Katha Bazaar, Lucky petrol pump near Sena Bhavan, opposite the passport office near Century Bazaar, Fishermen’s Colony near Mahim Causeway, the basement of the Air India building, Zaveri Bazaar, Hotel Sea Rock, Plaza Theatre, Centaur Hotel in Juhu and near the city airport and Sahar Airport’s Bay no.54.
Globally, it was the first terrorist attack in which the explosive RDX was used on such a large scale after the Second World War.
(With inputs from PTI)
