By IANS
Mumbai : The special TADA court hearing the Mumbai serial blasts case Friday sentenced five people, including Bollywood producer Samir Hingora who supplied weapons to actor Sanjay Dutt, to rigorous imprisonment ranging from eight years to life.
Hingora, a close friend of actor Sanjay Dutt who has made little known films like "Sanam", was sentenced on two counts to nine years' rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs.200,000 by the special anti-terror court. He has been held guilty of supplying three AK-56 rifles, hand-grenades and magazines to Dutt.
The weapons were supplied by India's most wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim's younger brother Anis Ibrahim through Abu Salem.
"Hingora, who had supplied AK-56 rifles to co-accused Sanjay Dutt on Jan 19, 1993 at the instance of Anis Ibrahim, brother of prime accused Dawood Ibrahim, is being sentenced to nine years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) on two counts and imposed a fine of Rs.200,000," special TADA judge P.D. Kode said.
Hingora was not found to be involved in the terror blasts.
Dutt has been convicted under the Arms Act but absolved of conspiracy charges.
Of the four others sentenced Friday, Niyaz Mohammad alias Aslam Iqbal Ahmad Sheikh was awarded life imprisonment on two counts – for conspiracy under TADA to carry out the act and for aiding and abetting terrorism.
He was also fined Rs.50,000.
Niyaz Mohammad was found guilty of going to Pakistan for taking arms training and attending conspiracy meetings and also surveying the Brihanmumbai Mumbai Corp (BMC) building prior to the March 12, 1993 blasts that claimed 257 lives, injured 700 people and damaged property worth Rs.300 million.
Shahrukh Motorwala, who was found guilty of going to Dubai on a forged passport and participating in a conspiracy meeting, was sentenced to 13 years and seven years' rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs.50,000 on two counts for conspiracy and aiding and abetting the conspiracy.
The others sentenced included Sheikh Etesham, sentenced on two counts for 10 years' each and asked to pay a fine of Rs.50,000 for conspiracy and aiding and abetting the terror act.
"Etesham had participated in the landing operation and transportation of contraband RDX, weapons and ammunition and conspiracy. He is a man from the Ezaj Pathan group. His sentences will run concurrently," the judge said.
Etesham has already spent more than 10 years in custody. He will be a free man if he pays up the fine of Rs.50,000, the court observed.
Gulam Hafiz Sheikh was sentenced to eight years' rigorous imprisonment on two counts and six years on one count and asked to pay a fine of Rs.25,000 .