Mumbai: Arguments on confirmation of death
sentence awarded to three convicts in the 2003 Mumbai twin
bomb blast case concluded today before the Bombay High Court.
Division bench of Justices AM Khanvilkar and P D Kode
would deliver the verdict on December 12, said advocate
Sushan Kunjuraman, defence lawyer.
The bench held a special hearing today to hear the
final arguments.
Ashrat Ansari (32), Hanif Sayed Anees (46) and his wife
Fehmida Sayed (43) were held guilty on charges of planting
powerful bombs in two taxis which exploded at Gateway of India
and Zaveri Bazaar respectively on August 25, 2003, killing 52
persons.
The conspiracy had been hatched by Hanif, Ashrat, Nasir
(who was later killed in a police encounter) and some
Pakistani nationals owing allegiance to LeT in Dubai, as per
the prosecution case.
The trio, who belonged LeT, have also been found guilty
by a POTA court for blast in a municipal bus in suburban
Ghatkopar on July 28, 2003, in which two persons were killed.
In the present case, the three were convicted under
various Sections of IPC, POTA, Explosive Substances Act and
Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
According to police, LeT used a family (husband-wife) to
carry out blasts for the first time in this case. The motive,
investigators said, was to seek vengeance for the violence
against the minority community during the post-Godhra riots in
Gujarat in 2002.
As the convicts were given death sentence by trial court,
the matter was sent to the Bombay High Court for confirmation,
as required under the law.
PTI
