1993 blasts: 3 get death, 1 sentenced to life

Mumbai, July 24: The Designated TADA court today awarded death sentences upon three more 1993 Mumbai serial blast convicts and life imprisonment upon one.

All these four were held guilty of lobbing hand-grenades at the fishermen's colony at Mahim here in which three people were killed and six injured.

The four -- Zakir Hussain, Abdul Akhtar Khan, Firoz Amani Malik and Moin Faridullah Qureshi -- had actually participated in the conspiracy, received weapons training in Pakistan and Sandheri in Raigad, and were involved in loading RDX in motor vehcles at the Al Husseni building. While Zakir Hussain, Abdul Akhtar Khan and Firoz Amani Malik were awarded the death setence, Moin Faridullah Qureshi was awarded life imprisonment in consideration of his young age.

All the four were identified by an eye witness, who was one of the injured. He had lodged a complaint in this regard. The three, who have been awarded the death sentence have been imposed a fine of over Rs one lakh each while Qureshi has been slapped a fine of Rs 1.65 lakh.

With this, the court has so far awarded capital punishment to ten convicts and life imprisionment to 17 out of the 91 convicts upon whom the quantum of punishment has been pronounced by the court so far.

When the court pronounced the quantum of sentence upon them, the four raised slogans, ''Nare Takbir Allah O Akbar.''

This was the first time that the court witnessed such slogan shouting. Firoz Amani Malik, reacting to the sentence, told the court that he had been declared a terrorist. However, had he been a terrorist, he could have easily escaped from the country while on bail for four months during the trials and not surrendered before the court as he had done so.

Among the four, Moin Qureshi at 31 is the youngest and had committed the crime on March 12, 1993, when he was only 17 years and three months. He was awarded life imprisonment on two counts.

He had earlier moved an application before the court, stating that as he was minor at the time of his arrest, the designated TADA court was not empowered to sentence him. In his application, citing the latest amendment in the Juvenile Act, which has extended the age limit of a juvenile from 16 years to 18 years, he asked the court to give him the benefit of the same, and transfer his case to the juvenile court. However, the court had turned down his application on the grounds that TADA act does not have retrospective effect over other acts, but has an over-ridding effect over other acts.

While awarding the death sentences today, TADA court judge P Kode observed that life is paramount but the crime of the three, who had snuffed out the lives of others, was so heinous, that they do not deserve any sympathy.

UNI