Wednesday, a special Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court pronounced the quantam of punishment for all those who was guilty in Mumbai 2002-03 blast case. These were the first blasts in which the banned organisation Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and members of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) conspired together to conduct a series of blasts in the city.
Court give life time imprisonment to bomb-planter Muzammil Ansari, Wahid Ansari and Farhaan Khot. Former general secretary of SIMI Saquib Nachan, who the prosecution claimed was a key accused, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, along with Ateef Mulla, Hasib Mulla and Gulam Khotal.
Noor Malik, Anwar Ali and Muhammed Kamil were sentenced to two years in jail. Judge PR Deshmukh who observe case quoted “The case is going on for 13 years for the prosecution and for defence. I have tried to appreciate both the evidence. You know this is the trial court and not the last court.
Some might be pleased and some might not. I have tried to give justice,” Deshmukh had earlier convicted Nachan and nine others 13 years after three blasts that shocked the city for hatching a conspiracy in preparation of the terror acts. Three accused Adnan Mulla, Harroon Lohar and Nadeem Paloba were earlier acquitted for lack of evidence. The three blasts that rocked the city between December 2002 to March 2003, killed 12 people and injured 139.