7/11 Mumbai train blasts: Prosecution seeks death penalty for 8, calls them merchants of death

Mumbai, Sept 23: The Special MCOCA court which had convicted 12 persons in connection with the Mumbai 7/11 or the serial train blasts case will deliver the verdict on the quantum of sentence on September 30th.

The prosecution which concluded arguments has sought death sentence for 8 out of the 12 persons convicted in this case and termed them as merchants of death.

Judge, Y S Shinde will deliver the verdict on the quantum of sentence on September 30th.

The court reserved orders on the matter after hearing for almost a week arguments advanced by both the defence and the prosecution.

The defence pleaded that the court impose lesser sentence on the convicts while quoting various judgments of the Supreme Court which state that life sentence is a rule while death an exception.

The prosecution sought life imprisonment for 4 accused while in the case of 8 others the death penalty was sought.

The prosecution argued that the key conspirators and also those five persons who planted the bombs must be awarded death penalty.

The key conspirators play the biggest role and it is on their instructions that the entire operation is planned and executed it was also argued.

Even those five persons who planted the bombs would have to be awarded death penalty, the prosecution argued.

The five persons who planted the bombs had done so willfully and it was not as though they were remote controlled.

They were fully in the know of the operation and even took part in the training apart from surveying the trains that they bombed.

Among those convicted are Tanvir Ahmed Ansari (37), Mohd Sajid Ansari (35), Ehtesham Siddiqui (30), Kamal Ahamed Ansari (37), Mohd Faisal Shaikh (36), Zamir Ahmad Shaikh (36), Mohammad Majid Shafi (32), Shaikh Alam Shaikh (41), Muzzammil Shaikh (27), Soheil Mehmood Shaikh (43), Naveed Hussain Khan (30) Asif Khan (38).

OneIndia News