By IANS
Mumbai : A special court here trying the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts cases Tuesday sentenced sub-inspector V.K. Patil to life imprisonment for conspiracy and abetment in terrorist acts.
Patil was given the sentence, the first life term awarded to an accused in the case, on both counts under the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) that will run concurrently. A fine of Rs.100,000 was also imposed on him. He will have to serve an additional three years in prison for default.
Six others were also sentenced to rigorous imprisonment on the two counts. While five have been jailed for six years, one has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
Patil was in charge of the police party that had intercepted on Jan 9, 1993, the smuggled consignment of arms meant for carrying out the blasts. Patil allowed it to pass for a bribe of Rs.700,000.
Special TADA judge Pramod Kode said: "The accused former police sub-inspector V. K. Patil was in charge of the police party that had intercepted a truck laden with smuggled arms and ammunition. And instead of discharging his duty, he let it pass onward to Mumbai for personal gains. The explosives were then used in the drastic terror attack that killed hundreds of innocent people."
"His crime is greater than that of his subordinates who were sentenced Monday. The charges against Patil were more serious than those against the four constables as he was the head of the party."
The court Monday sentenced four constables to six years' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs.25,000 each for aiding and abetting in the transportation of smuggled arms and weapons used in the bombings.
"Patil not only betrayed the trust that the government had bestowed on him, he also committed a breach of trust of the public by allowing the contraband to pass. He set a heinous example for his subordinates. There should not be any leniency shown for such a person," Kode observed.
"And when the agreed bribe amount was not paid, Patil settled to take smuggled silver bricks in lieu of money."
The judge, however, brushed aside the prosecution's demand of a death sentence, saying there was no evidence that Patil had any direct link with the terror attacks.
The other six convicts had gone to Pakistan for arms training but they did not participate in the final act of terror. Each of them has also been fined Rs.15,000 or an additional three months in jail for default.
Pronouncing the sentence, Kode said: "All the six accused – Gul Mohammed Noor Mohamed Sheikh, Mohammed Hanif Usman Sheikh, Mohammed Sayed Mohammed Ishaq, Sheikh Ibrahim Sheikh Hussain, Usman Khan Sheikh and Mohammed Rafiq Usman Sheikh had been to Pakistan via Dubai for arms training, handling of explosives and rocket launchers."
Mohamed Rafiq Usman Sheikh got a seven-year sentence as he had attended a meet in Dubai before the blast. Tiger Memon, a key conspirator in the attacks, had taken part in the meeting.
The serial blasts had killed 257 people and left hundreds injured.