Mumbai multiple blasts: Three of 10 convicts sentenced to life in jail

Mumbai: A special Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court in Mumbai on Wednesday sentenced bomb-planter Muzammil Ansari, Wahid Ansari and Farhaan Khot to life imprisonment in connection to the multiple blasts that rocked the city between December 2002 and March 2003, killing 13 people.

Former general secretary of SIMI Saquib Nachan, along with Ateef Mulla, Hasib Mulla and Gulam Khotal, have been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. However, the three will be released after two years as they have already completed eight years of imprisonment.

Noor Malik, Anwar Ali and Muhammed Kamil were sentenced to two years in jail.

“If given death sentence, his life would be over in fraction of seconds and he would not feel the pain that the victims and their family had to go through,” said Special Judge PR Deshmukh.

On March 29, the court convicted ten out of 13 accused in this case.

Those convicted include Saquib Nachan, Ateef Mulla, Hasib Mulla, Ghulam Kotal, Mohammed Kamil, Noor Malik, Anwar Ali Khan, Farhaan Khot, Dr Wahid Ansari and Muzammil Ansari.

The court ordered that 75 per cent of the fine amount (total Rs 12 lakh) recovered (from the convicts) will go to District Legal Services Authority while rest will go to the Indian Railways.

The court also directed DLSA, Mumbai to decide the quantum of compensation to be awarded to the victims and dependents and accordingly pay it.

The Mulund train blasts occurred on March 13, 2003 killing 13 persons and injuring 71. Earlier, on December 6, 2002 several persons were injured in the blast at McDonald's at Mumbai Central station, while a person died when a bomb attached to a cycle exploded in a market area in Vile Parle (East) on January 27, 2003.

During the course of arguments on the sentencing, Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian had demanded capital punishment for Muzammil Ansari.

She had also sought life imprisonment for Saquib Nachan, Gulam Khotal, Farhaan Khot and Dr Wahid Ansari.

In a combined chargesheet, filed against 15 accused in the Mulund, Vile Parle and Mumbai Central blast cases, police had charged them with offences under POTA, the Explosive Substances Act and preparation to wage war against the nation and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code.

Two accused died during the trial and cases against them were abated. Six are still wanted in the case.

During the trial, prosecution examined 153 witnesses out of which many (from Padga turned hostile) while the defence examined 30 witnesses.

The trial began in 2014, as earlier some of the accused had challenged POTA and had also challenged clubbing of the cases.