Aurangabad arms haul: Vedict on quantum of sentence deferred to Aug 2

New Delhi, July 30: The special MCOCA court will pronounce its verdict on the quantum of sentence in the Aurangabad arms haul case on August 2. The court which was originally to deliver the verdict on Saturday postponed the same for August 2.

During the arguments on the quantum of sentence, the defence pleaded for a lenient punishment against the 12 convicts. The prosecution however, sought a stringent punishment while asking the court to take into account the gravity of the crime.

While convicting 12 persons in connection with this case the court had held that the entire conspiracy was hatched to eliminate Narendra Modi who was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat, the judge also accepted the prosecution's view that the weapons were procured from Pakistan.

The arms and ammunition seized during the Aurangabad case were sourced from Pakistan, a Special MCOCA court delivering its verdict had said. The court which was hearing the Aurangabad arms haul case held 12 persons including Abu Jundal, the Lashkar-e-Taiba operative guilty.

The Maharashtra ATS based on a tip off, arrested several persons on May 8, 2006 near Aurangabad. The ATS also seized a huge cache of arms which were being transported in a Tata Sumo and Indica. One of the vehicles was being driven by Jundal alias Zabiuddin Ansari. The ATS was however, not able to arrest Jundal as he managed to escape.

Jundal is said to have escaped to Bangladesh from where he left for Pakistan. He rose in the ranks of the Lashkar-e-Taiba at an astronomical pace.

He was then roped in to give the ten terrorists Hindi tuitions so that they would look like locals when they entered Mumbai to stage the attack. He was finally deported from Saudi Arabia to India two years after the attacks of 26/11.

OneIndia News