Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court on Monday
enhanced the sentence of four persons convicted under POTA in
the 2002 tiffin bomb blast case from 10 years to life
imprisonment while acquitting one person.
A division bench of Justice Jayant Patel and Justice
H B Antani acquitted Ahmed Hussain Mansuri in the same case of
all charges.
The court enhanced the sentences of Anas Machiswala,
Mohammad Hanif Pakitwala, Kalim Ahmed, Mohammad Habib Hawa.
These five persons had approached the High Court
challenging the verdict of a special POTA court convicting
them in the 2002 tiffin bomb blast case in which 13 passengers
were injured and sentencing them for 10 years imprisonment.
The designated Pota judge Sonia Gokani had convicted
the five in May 2006 while acquitting 12 other accused in the
case.
They were convicted for planting bombs in tiffins
inside five Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) run
buses, which went off injuring 13 passengers on May 29, 2002.
According to Special Public Prosecutors J M Panchal
and Kamal Panchal, they had submitted that all the five were
accused of a serious crime and it would prove harmful it they
were let out.
They had also requested enhancement of their sentence
to the maximum available under the provision of POTA.
They were convicted under section 3(1) and 3(3) of the
Pota, IPC 120 (B) (conspiracy) and 307 (attempt to murder),
explosive substance Act and Bombay Police Act 135(1).
Initially, 21 persons were charge-sheeted in this
connection by the city crime branch. All were accused of
hatching conspiracy for riots reprisal. They were booked under
special Pota laws, Explosive Substance Act as well as IPC.
Four persons were discharged by the POTA court and
finally trial was conducted against 17 accused.
PTI
