By IANS
Mumbai : A special court here Thursday sentenced one man to life and two women to five years' imprisonment each for their involvement in the deadly 1993 Mumbai bombings that killed 257 people.
Judge P.D. Kode of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Preventive) Act (TADA) Court awarded life imprisonment to Salim Rahim Sheikh for criminal conspiracy and for aiding and abetting the serial bomb blasts.
He was also asked to pay a fine of Rs.140,000.
Sheikh was a member of a group, which had gone to a fishermen's colony in Mahim locality here and hurled hand grenades, killing three people and injuring dozens.
The court said that since it was clear that Sheikh had not actually thrown the grenades or filled vehicles with RDX, he was spared a death sentence.
Reading out the sentence, Kode said that Sheikh's confessional statement had revealed that though he was present at prime accused Tiger Memon's Al-Hussaini residence on the night before the bombings, he had not filled the explosives in the vehicles due to the fear of "dirtying his hands" with the black RDX.
"He preferred to park the vehicles being filled with the RDX and drive them around," the judge noted.
The judge said that Sheikh was convicted on charges of driving three other people who threw hand grenades in Mahim and also on charges of illegal possession of a pistol.
The two women, Mobina Bhiwandiwala and Zaibunisha Kazi, broke down on hearing their punishment.
Bhiwandiwala was awarded rigorous imprisonment for five years and was also fined Rs.55,000. She was charged with aiding and abetting the terror attack.
The woman had allowed her flat to be used by Tiger Memon, the main conspirator who is absconding.
"Absconding Tiger Memon had lured Bhiwandiwala into the conspiracy by offering her money and to allow the conspirators to use her flat for the conspiracy meetings," said the court.
"She however, knew the purpose of the meetings as she was a close confidante of Tiger Memon. Memon used to financially support her and also keep money with her. The final touches to the terror attacks on Mumbai were given at the meetings at her flat."
After hearing her sentence, a tearful Bhiwandiwala made a last ditch emotional appeal to the judge and special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam to waive her sentence.
"I am a poor woman with two young children. Sir, you too are a parent. Please have mercy on me and reduce my sentence," pleaded the 33-year-old woman even as policewomen tried to drag her away from the witness box.
"I am being made a victim of someone else's wrongdoing. Please have mercy on me."
Kazi, a 65-year-old widow, got rigorous imprisonment for five years on two counts and was asked to pay Rs.100,000 as fine. She was charged under the Arms Act for possessing weapons.
On hearing her sentence, she slumped to the ground and was helped to her feet by two policewomen and other convicts.
"Kazi was found guilty for her role in keeping AK-56 rifles, ammunition and hand grenades at the behest of absconding Anees Ibrahim Kaskar, the younger brother of the key conspirator and absconding Dawood Ibrahim," the court said.
So far, 76 of the 100 convicts have been sentenced with jail terms ranging from life to five years apart from fines for planning and abetting the attack or for illegal possession of weapons.
Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, the most famous among the convicts, was found guilty of illegal possession of weapons and could face up to 10 years in prison. No date has been set for his sentencing.