1993 blasts case: CBI seeks life term for Abu Salem

Abu Salem

The CBI sought life imprisonment for extradited gangster Abu Salem, who is among six accused convicted under stringent sections of the TADA in the 1993 bomb blast case last month.

Special TADA court judge GA Sanap is currently hearing arguments of the prosecution on the quantum of sentence.

In the second set of the trial in the case, the court had on June 16 convicted five accused, including Mustafa Dossa (now deceased) and Salem, of murder, conspiracy and sections of the now-repealed Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, while the sixth accused Riyaz Siddiqui was convicted only under the TADA Act. The prosecution has also sought life term for Siddiqui.

As many as 257 people were killed in the coordinated blasts that ripped through the city on March 12, 1993.

Dossa died last week from a cardiac arrest, a day after the prosecution sought death sentence for him.

The trial of the seven accused — Salem, Dossa, Karimullah Khan, Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan, Riyaz Siddiqui, Tahir Merchant and Abdul Quayyum — was separated from the main case as they were arrested when the main trial was nearing conclusion. The court had acquitted Abdul Quayyum of all the charges.

Special Public Prosecutor Deepak Salvi argued in the court today that though Salem deserved capital punishment, in view of the Extradition Treaty with Portugal from where he had been extradited, he should be awarded life term.

As per the section 34 (C) of the Extradition Act, if the law of the country from where an accused has been extradited does not provide for capital punishment, he cannot be awarded death sentence.

Salvi said the country should know the gravity of the offences committed by Salem in the blasts.

The special prosecutor said Salem was the main conspirator who shouldered a "higher degree" of responsibility in planning and executing the blasts.

Salem was a member of the gang led by fugitive mob boss Dawood Ibrahim, he said.

"Salem had had two passports which he used for fleeing the country. He is a habitual offender and the Indian government had submitted a list of crimes committed by him to Portugal while seeking his custody," Salvi said.

Seeking life imprisonment for Siddiqui, Salvi said he had played a significant role in the blasts.

The CBI had last week sought capital punishment for one of the convicts Feroz Abdul Rashid Khan.