M A I N   N E W S

’93 Mumbai blasts
CBI seeks death for conspirators

Mumbai, February 15
The CBI today sought death penalty for all but three of the 47 people convicted for being party to the conspiracy behind the 1993 serial blasts here.

The special TADA court of Judge P.D. Kode has convicted 100 of the 123 accused in the 1993 serial blast case. Of them, 47 were convicted for being party to the conspiracy as well as other charges under TADA and different laws.

CBI lawyer N. Natrajan, while winding up his argument on the quantum of punishment today, urged the court to give the maximum punishment of death penalty to all these conspirators, barring three of them.

The 44 conspirators for whom the CBI sought the death sentence include three members of the family of prime absconding accused Tiger Memon — Yakub Memon, Essa Memon and Yusuf Memon.

In the case of Rubina Memon, Tiger Memon’s sister-in-law, the CBI asked for a lesser sentence than death as she is a woman, though she too was convicted for conspiracy.

Similarly, the CBI did not seek capital punishment for two other conspirators, customs officer Somnath Thapa and Imtiaz Ghawte, who were among those who had planted the bombs.

The CBI did not seek the capital punishment for them as Thapa is suffering from cancer while Ghawte has contracted HIV.

For those convicted under TADA but not under Section 120 B (being party to criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the CBI asked for the maximum punishment of life imprisonment. Here too, Natrajan sought a concession for two women convicts, Mobina Bhiwandiwala and Zaibunnisa Kazi.

For others convicted under Acts other than TADA, the CBI asked for the maximum sentence under the respective laws.

The defence will file its rejoinder to the CBI’s arguments on February 23. — PTI