1993 Mumbai blasts: Abu Salem gets life term, 2 others get death sentence

While Karimullah Khan also gets life in prison, Tahir Merchant and Feroz Khan get death sentence

Extradited gangster Abu Salem was on Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment by a Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (TADA) court in Mumbai in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

Special Judge G A Sanap pronounced the death verdicts on convicts Mohammed Taher Merchant and Feroze Khan for their role in the blasts, said Special Public Prosecutor Deepak Salve.

Besides Salem, the special court awarded life sentence to Karimullah Khan and 10 years rigorous imprisonment to Riyaz Siddiqui.

The Special Judge also slapped varying amounts of fines on the convicts after finding them guilty on various charges, including murder, conspiracy to hatch the blasts, supplying arms and ammunition, and other serious offences, Salve told media-persons after the ruling.

A special TADA court had in June convicted six persons, including mastermind Mustafa Dossa and Salem, in the blasts case, 24 years after the attacks left 257 people dead in the country's financial capital.

It, however, let off accused Abdul Quayyum for want of evidence.

Arguments over the degree of sentences continued after the conviction in June and concluded on August 10.

All the accused were facing multiple charges of criminal conspiracy, waging war against the government, and murder of people.

This was the second leg of the trial. In the first leg that concluded in 2007, the TADA court had convicted 100 accused in the case, while 23 people were acquitted.

The court had earlier held that the prosecution had proved that Salem was one of the main conspirators and that he delivered three AK-56 rifles, ammunition, and hand grenades to actor Sanjay Dutt (convicted in the earlier phase of the trial under the Arms Act).

Salem, who was close to (Dawood's brother) Anees Ibrahim and Dossa, took it upon himself to bring a part of the arms and ammunition from Dighi to Mumbai, the court earlier said.

This was "vital towards achievement of the conspiracy so that the weapons could be used to terrorise and torment innocent citizens of India," the court had said.

The trial of Salem, Mustafa Dossa, Karimullah Khan, Feroze Abdul Rashid Khan, Riyaz Siddiqui, Tahir Merchant, and Abdul Quayyum was separated from the main case as they were arrested subsequently.

Dossa died of cardiac arrest at J J Hospital in Mumbai shortly after being convicted on June 28.

The Mumbai blast of March 12, 1993, resulted in 257 fatalities and over 700 were injured. The attacks were planned by Dawood Ibrahim, India's 'most wanted' fugitive, who also has his name prominently figuring on the 'most wanted' lists of the US and the Interpol.