Mumbai, June 3
Sixty-three of the total 100 convicts in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case have been sentenced in the last two weeks, and the next two weeks would witness the climax of the trial, as it would be the turn of the main conspirators.
Also, decision on actor Sanjay Dutt's application under the Probation of Offender Act is awaited.
The CBI, prosecuting agency, had divided the accused in three categories: Those who were part of the "inner circle of the conspirators", those associated with the conspiracy only to a certain extent, and those who were not involved in conspiracy, but facilitated it nevertheless.
The court has already sentenced most of those who were concerned with the landing of RDX, arms and ammunition at Dighi and Shekhaid in Raigad district, and its transportation.
However, the court is yet to deal with those who participated in the meetings held by blasts' mastermind Tiger Memon in the first and second week of March, prior to the March 12, 1993 blasts.
These were the main conspirators, and many of them also took part in preparation of vehicle bombs and their planting.
Among those who have been sentenced so far, only Niaz Ahmed and Nasir Dhakla -- both of whom got lifers -- were involved in these final meetings, when targets of the bombing were decided.
None of them was a ‘planter'. Judge Pramod Kode hasn't handed out death penalty to anyone so far, but in the case of the ‘planters', CBI lawyer Ujjwal Nikam has vehemently demanded capital punishment. Six life sentences have been given by the judge so far.
Prominent among those sentenced in the past two weeks are 83-year-old Dawood Phanse, who organised landing of contraband at Shekhadi, former police sub-inspector Vijay Patil who struck a deal with conspirators and let contraband pass through, film producer Sameer Hingora, three custom officials, and scion of Tonk royal family Salim Durani
Remaining lot includes the four members of Tiger Memon's family, the planters, customs collector Somnath Thapa, Sanjay Dutt and those who helped him destroy the AK-56 he had obtained from Hingora.
— PTI
