No sentence order today on 4 convicts of Memon family

Mumbai, Sept 14 (UNI) A TADA court today recorded statements of three of four convicted members of Memon family found guilty of involvement in the 1993 serial bomb blasts in this megapolis but could not pass any order on the quantum of sentence as arguments of the defence for leniency remained incomplete.

Defence counsel Harshad Poonda, who spoke for nearly half an hour citing judgements of various High Courts and the Supreme Court, will resume his arguments tomorrow.

Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, who made a brief intervention during the recording of statement by Yakub Memon, will argue on the quantum of punishment to the convicts after the completion of arguments by the defence.

Meanwhile, the statement of one convict could also not be recorded today as Yusuf Memon was not produced in the court. Jail authorities informed the designated court of Pramod Kode that Yusuf was not well.

Three Memon brothers - Yakub, Essa and Yusuf - and Rubeena, sister-in-law of prime absconding accused Tiger Memon, were found guilty by the TADA court on Tuesday, while Mohammed Sohaib Ghansar was the fifth accused convicted today.

Arguments for deteriming punishment to Ghansar, held guilty of planting an RDX-laden scooter in Zaveri Bazar that killed 17 people and injured 57 on March 12, 1993 in the city's jewellary hub, could also be taken up tomorrow. Thirteen bomb blasts that day had claimed 257 lives and left over 700 wounded in India's financial capital.

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