2003 Mumbai blasts: All accused convicted under POTA

The court said it would hear on August 4 the arguments of the defence and the prosecution regarding the quantum of sentence to be awarded to the convicted persons.

The trio have been convicted under various sections of the IPC for conspiracy,murder and attempt to murder,sections of POTA,Explosive Substances Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

The convicts listened carefully to the judge while the verdict was being pronounced and remained silent. Three more persons had been arrested for their alleged involvement in the blasts,but one of them turned approver in the case.

Two other accused,Mohammed Ansari Ladoowala and Mohammed Hasan Batterywala,were discharged from the case by POTA court after Supreme Court upheld a POTA review committee report that there was no case against the duo.

On August 25,2003,two bombs which were placed in taxis exploded and rocked the iconic Gateway of India and the busy Zaveri Bazaar in South Mumbai.

Speaking outside the court,Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said since the accused were found guilty under sections of IPC,the punishment the accused face is either life imprisonment or death.

“The prosecution is going to seek stringent punishment for the three on August 4,” he said.

It was for the first time that a married couple has been found guilty under POTA for commission of a terror act like carrying out blasts,Nikam said.

“One of the accused who later became an approver has said the conspiracy to carry out the blasts was hatched by terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba in Dubai. In this conspiracy meeting,Pakistani nationals owing allegiance to LeT were also present and one of the objectives of the blasts was to create terror in Mumbai,” the special public prosecutor said.

The prosecution had said the accused were also allegedly involved in planting an unexploded bomb in a bus at suburban SEEPZ on December 2,2002 and another explosive device in a bus at Ghatkopar on July 28,2003 in which two persons were killed due to the explosion.

“However,the LeT decided to conduct high intensity explosions and the bombs were planted in two taxis in Zaveri Bazaar and Gateway of India on August 25,2003,” Nikam said.

It was for the first time,that the LeT had carried out blasts in which a family was involved and they travelled to the designated locations to place bombs,he said.

The 16-year-old daughter of Hanif and Fehmida was also arrested for her alleged involvement in aiding her parents but was subsequently discharged since she was a minor,Nikam said.

During the course of the trial,the prosecution examined 103 witnesses and the defence examined four witnesses.