Tiger Memon family's fate to be decided on Jul 27

Mumbai, July 27: Four members of prime accused Tiger Memon's family, who have been convicted in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case, will appear before a special TADA court here today.

The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on brothers of Tiger Memon - Yakub, Essa, Yusuf - and Tiger Memon's sister-in-law Rubina, who have been convicted of abetment and conspiracy.

Tiger Memon has been declared absconding, while his father Abdul Razzak Memon passed away during the trial.

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, convicted for possessing illegal weapon in connection with the case, will also appear before the court today. According to sources, the court will decide the fate of Dutt on July 30.

Dutt and his three co-accused friends, Yusuf Nullwala, Kersi Adajenia and Russi Mulla, have been held guilty of a leaser offence under the Arms Act, not under TADA. They have all sought their release on probation on grounds of good conduct.

According to the Probation of Offenders Act, a person convicted of any offence other than the one punishable with death or life imprisonment, can be released on probation instead of serving the sentence in prison.

Dutt has already spent nearly 15 months, as an under-trial before being released on bail in 1996.

Minimum sentence for the charges under which Dutt has been found guilty is three years.

Dutt was booked for possessing an AK-56 rifle that had come in a consignment of arms and explosives meant for use in the Mumbai serial blasts that killed 257 people.

The Court has already awarded sentences to two convicts who had supplied arms to Dutt. On June 1, Samir Hingora - the man who supplied AK-56 rifle to Dutt - was awarded nine years' rigorous imprisonment. Dhakla, who removed the rifle from Dutt's house, was awarded 10 years imprisonment.

ANI
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