Indian court sentences 2 convicts to death in 1993 Mumbai blasts case
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A special court in India sentenced two convicts to death and two others to life in jail in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case on Thursday.
The four men had earlier been convicted of criminal conspiracy and murder in the planting of 12 powerful bombs in cars, scooters and suitcases around India's financial capital.
Abu Salem, who was convicted under sections of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act or TADA, was sentenced to life in prison. Salem had been tried after his extradition from Portugal.
Convicts Tahir Merchant and Feroz Khan were sentenced to death and a fourth, Karimullah Khan, was also sentenced to a life term, NDTV reported.
A fifth convict, Riyaz Siddiqui, was sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Thursday's hearing sentencing ended a second trial related to the bombings. A first trial ended in 2007 with more than 100 people convicted, of which 11 were sentenced to be executed while the rest were given various terms in prison.
One suspect in the case, Yakub Memon, was hanged in 2015.
Several people suspected to have been involved in the bombings have yet to be arrested, including India’s most-wanted man, Dawood Ibrahim.
The Bombay Stock Exchange, the offices of Air India and a luxury hotel were among about a dozen targets of the March 1993 blasts, which killed 257 people in the deadliest attacks ever to hit India.
They were believed to have been staged by Mumbai's Muslim-dominated underworld in retaliation for anti-Muslim violence that had killed more than 1,000 people.
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Comments (41) Closed
Sep 07, 2017 01:02pm
Finally truth wins.
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Sep 07, 2017 01:16pm
After judgement why use words like believed and alleged. They have done it, proved and prosecuted, that's it.
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Sep 07, 2017 01:21pm
Waiting for a few supporter to cry that it was against a specific community.
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Sep 07, 2017 01:26pm
Justice served after 24 years
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Sep 07, 2017 01:33pm
Mumbai Blasts of '93 were in retaliation to the killing of over a thousand Muslims in Gujarat. Unfortunately, the killers of Gujarat have been left scot free so as to make room for further retaliations after this verdict.
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Sep 07, 2017 01:34pm
@Sandeep, What truth? Have you removed the cause of those blasts?
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Sep 07, 2017 01:37pm
@Sandeep .. india's truth always revolves around lynching of Muslims... what about those hindus who slained 1000 Muslims in Gujrat when modi was CM ?.
nevertheless, this decision shows Muslims are / were very powerful in India that they din't need help from others to kill so called 257 people... magnificent judiciary and decision as such. in all later / subsequential bombings hindus were found to be involved in all bombings ... mockery of justice by this decision, alone Muslims are being protrayed as villains... whereas HIndus are equally involved.
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Sep 07, 2017 01:38pm
@EuropeWala, no need to wait. It is evident from the fact that, the person responsible for creating grounds for those blasts, has been rewarded and is now holding the biggest fort in India.
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Sep 07, 2017 01:39pm
@KT, Justice served after 24 years of hard labor!
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Sep 07, 2017 01:45pm
@M.Saeed You are wrong my friend. Gujarat riots took place in 2002. This incident was in protest of demolition of a MOSQUE
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Sep 07, 2017 01:45pm
Prime accused Dawood Ibrahim is still in Pakistan and there is no final closure of the matter. Abu Salem escaped death due to extradition treaty with Portugal.
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Sep 07, 2017 01:47pm
@M.Saeed - Maya kodnani a sitting MP of Gujarat at the time has been convicted.
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Sep 07, 2017 01:47pm
@M.Saeed and Gujrat was reaction to Godara train burning where hundreds of Hindu pilgrimagers were burnt alive. Please state complete fact.
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Sep 07, 2017 01:48pm
@M.Saeed :
You've got your years mixed up. Check your facts before commenting. Which year did the Gujarat riots happened? And while you are at it also check what triggered the riots the consequences of which were appalling.
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Sep 07, 2017 01:49pm
@M.Saeed
Gujarat Riots were in 2002 ....which was results of two times Mumbai Attack prior to that in which misguided Muslim were involved Sir !!
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Sep 07, 2017 01:51pm
You cannot escape indian judiciary after killing even a single innocent.
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Sep 07, 2017 01:52pm
where are the killers of 1200 Muslims ? How Indian government says justice is served ? Once you kill Minority Muslims you are being made the prime minister of the country instead of sending that criminal (Modi) to jail. World needs to do the justice and help promote the notion that all form of extremism is bad no matter who does it, instead of using the rhetoric of terrorism against muslims only and committing all kind of injustice against them is extremely unfair and unjust.
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Sep 07, 2017 01:53pm
Again!?!?
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Sep 07, 2017 01:55pm
@JM there's only one person who knows the facts and gets the story right.
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Sep 07, 2017 02:05pm
@Aman worry about your minorities if any left. Let ours to us.
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Sep 07, 2017 02:06pm
@ AMAN @ M Sayeed
India and Pakistan should together have debate on protecting minorities before International Forum. This will set pointers and guidance to other countries like ....Myanmar, China , Russia , US , UK . Together we can enlighten the world because we have the best of the talent and experience on this subject .Think over !
Shaukat Natalkar , Mumbai
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Sep 07, 2017 02:07pm
@M.Saeed
U r truly aware of nothing
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Sep 07, 2017 02:10pm
@M.Saeed '93 the revenge of 2002... Brilliant!
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Sep 07, 2017 02:29pm
24 years to announce a verdict...Justice delayed is justice denied
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Sep 07, 2017 02:54pm
@M.Saeed you are confused. Year 2002 is different from 1993
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Sep 07, 2017 02:59pm
Yet Samjhuta express convicts Swami Aseemanand and Col Rohit are scot-free and Afzal Guru and Yakub memon have been hanged. What a mockery of justice in India.
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Sep 07, 2017 03:12pm
Poor souls became scapegoat of government when it's failed to find real culprits
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Sep 07, 2017 03:15pm
Indian justice system is amazing. While, all of us should condemn all acts of terrorism and hold the culprits to account. But i find it amazing, that since India became inependent, muslims killed in riots, false police actions or various terrorist attacks far outnumber the number of hindus killed in India. But, i have never heard of Indian courts handing out death penalty to a hindu in such cases? Even if you take the gujarat riots or the sikh riots as an example, where killing and raping of muslims/sikhs was done on a huge scale and most of this was planned before hand and was not spontaneous and i am certain some of the killers and rapists of muslims/sikhs killed more than 1 person, even then i cannot recall anyone hindu getting death penalty in those cases, i know muslims also killed hindus during gujarat riots. It seems to me, the Indian justice system is hugely biased against minorities, especially muslims.
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Sep 07, 2017 03:15pm
@optimist rajput They were in jail for 9 years.
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Sep 07, 2017 03:19pm
When it comes to sentencing Muslim convicts are always seen getting the harshest punishment while Col. Prohit like terrorists are given reprive.
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Sep 07, 2017 03:33pm
@cyberbhai this shows the true face of indian justice, do you honestly think even if their conviction was upheld, would they get the death penalty? No chance, at best they would get 20-30 years max; only killers of hindus get death sentence.
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Sep 07, 2017 03:37pm
When will the hindu terrorist MODI and his associates be hanged for killing innocent Muslims.These are double standards???
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Sep 07, 2017 03:51pm
Can we say that the verdict is specifically targeted against Muslims...
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Sep 07, 2017 06:42pm
@Begum of Islamabad When you stop being biased you will see the truth. Take apnapan out of your mind, don't associate yourself with any religion, region, language, race or sect. Then you will start seeing the world for what it is. Till then you are prisoner of your mind.
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Sep 08, 2017 01:35am
@M.Saeed gujrat riots happened in 2000 ...atleast be aware of basic facts
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Sep 08, 2017 02:30am
@A Ali If what you say is true, how come the Muslim population in India has INCREASED in India from 13% to 15%?
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Sep 08, 2017 02:32am
@optimist rajput They are NOT convicts. Learn some legalese and ye shall be set free.
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Sep 08, 2017 03:15am
@Nasir Askar Yes, here justice has been delayed, but these cases were of murder. It does not matter how long it takes, no one should be able to get away with murder. In USA there is no statute of limitation to bar murder trial.
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Sep 08, 2017 02:26pm
@Aman
first of all read the details of how Muslims started the problem in this instance
in addition where is your outrage at disappearing minorities in Pakistan
our minorities in India are thriving and growing - while yours are reduced to less than 2 percent of your populations
do you have any comments on that ?
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Sep 08, 2017 02:28pm
@Gaur
you are right
people like Saeed get too emotional and lose all objectivity
their own minorities are disappearing, they have no jobs nor education and lives are miserable
the only focus that keeps them happy is hatred of India and hatred of non muslims
what a country we have as neighbor
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Sep 09, 2017 08:04am
@M.Saeed The Gujarat riots happened in 2002. The way you are saying it, it's more like revenge in advance. BTW, every time a blast happened in Mumbai more Muslims died than Hindus. I lived in Mumbai when the Gateway of India blasts happened. A lot of Muslims died. I wept for them as they were Indians like me who were trying to make a living by working hard. Whoever thought of the plot were criminals. The planners need to be brought to justice. That just is not happening.
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