Salem, 5 others guilty of ’93 Mumbai blasts
D gang ‘member’ acquitted of all charges
The special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court on Friday found guilty six of the seven accused in the March 1993 blasts case, including extradited mafia don Abu Salem and gangster Mustafa Dossa.
Abdul Qayyum Shaikh, an alleged member of Dawood Ibrahim’s gang, is the lone accused who was acquitted of all charges.
The court held the accused guilty of charges related to involvement in criminal conspiracy and other charges of the TADA, Indian Penal Code, Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Act. The main trial in the case by the TADA court had led to the conviction of 100 accused out of a total of 123 in 2006, while 23 people were acquitted. The court has set Monday as the next hearing date to decide on arguments on the quantum of sentence to be awarded.
The special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court on Friday found guilty six of the seven accused in the March 1993 blasts case, including extradited mafia don Abu Salem and gangster Mustafa Dossa.
Special TADA Judge Govind A. Sanap has convicted Salem, Dossa, Karimullah Khan, Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan, Riyaz Siddiqui and Tahir Merchant. Much to the relief of one accused, the court acquitted Abdul Qayyum Karim Shaikh and pronounced that he would not leave country till the other accused receive their punishment.
Speaking to this newspaper, Shaikh said, “I have been in custody for the past 10 years and eight months. From beginning I have been shouting that I am innocent. Had I been convicted it would have been the most embarrassing thing to go through”
Harun Merchant, a relative of Tahir Merchant, said, “Our lawyer has not appeared today in court. When we get a copy of judgment we will decide whether it needs to be challenged or not.”
On March 12, 1993 Mumbai a series of 12 explosions took place one after another in a span of two hours, killing 257 people, seriously injuring 713 and destroying property worth `27 crore.
The blasts occurred at the Bombay Stock Exchange, Katha Bazaar, Lucky Petrol pump near Sena Bhavan, opposite Passport office near Century Bazaar, Fishermen's colony at Mahim Causeway, at the basement of the Air India Building, Zaveri Bazaar, Hotel Sea Rock, Plaza Theatre, Centaur Hotel in Juhu, Sahar Airport (Bay no.54) and Centaur Hotel near the airport.