Aurangabad arms haul: Lashkar-e-Taiba's Abu Jundal gets life term

New Delhi, Aug 2: The special MCOCA court on Tuesday sentenced Abu Jundal, the Lashkar-e-Taiba operative to life imprisonment in the Aurangabad arms haul case. Six others too were handed out life imprisonments by the court.

Two convicts were awarded a 14-year sentence while, 3 will have to do 8 years in jail. The counsel for the accused will prefer an appeal in the High Court against the verdict. In this case 8 people had been acquitted while one is absconding.

The court had last week convicted all these persons under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act, the Explosives Act and ndian Penal Code.

The ATS on May 8, 2005 intercepted the vehicle and seized the arms. However, Jundal managed to escape under mysterious circumstances.

The prosecution had submitted that the weapons seized during the raid at Aurangabad were procured from Pakistan. The entire plot was being hatched to eliminate Modi and Hindu leader, Praveen Togadia, the court observed.

The accused wanted to shake and reduce the faith of the common man in an elected democratic government by undertaking large scale violence, the court further held.

They also wanted to exploit the communal sentiments of the Muslims and provoke them in the name of religion, the judge also observed.

After the plan was hatched it was decided to move the consignment into Gujarat. They had loaded the ammunition into a Tata Sumo and a Tata Indica. Jundal was driving the Indica.

The ATS howeve, on May 8 2005 intercepted the vehicle and seized the arms. However Jundal managed to escape under mysterious circumstances.

OneIndia News