By IANS
Mumbai : A special court Wednesday sentenced two people, including a close aide of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts mastermind Dawood Ibrahim, to life imprisonment for transporting explosives.
Dawood Phanse, 83, was among the eight people sentenced by the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court for their role in the blasts, which killed 257 people.
Phanse was convicted of personally meeting Dawood Ibrahim in Dubai before the blasts and agreeing to transport RDX and weapons.
Special Judge P.D. Kode told Phanse: "Considering your age I am not giving you death but life imprisonment.
"Dawood Phanse was the main conspirator in both the landing operations of RDX, arms and ammunition at Shekhadi and Dighi coast. In his confession, he had admitted that he had been explicitly instructed by key conspirator and absconding blast mastermind Dawood Ibrahim to carry out the landing operations," Kode said.
Phanse was sentenced to life imprisonment on two counts under Section 120(B) of the TADA act for conspiracy with a fine of Rs.100,000 and an additional rigorous imprisonment of 14 years with a fine of Rs.50,000, besides another enhanced punishment for life under Section 6 with a fine of Rs.50,000.
"All the sentences will run concurrently," the judge added.
The other person to get life imprisonment was Muzammil Kadri, also convicted for transporting and possessing weapons.
"Mazamil Kadri was found guilty on three counts and sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment under Section 120(B) for conspiracy with a fine of Rs.50,000 and additional sentence of 10 years' rigorous imprisonment for aiding and abetting the terror act along with a fine of Rs.25,000."
The judge said that not only was Kadri a "coveted" member of the Dawood Phanse gang, he was guilty of possessing 13 AK-56 rifles that were part of the arms and ammunition consignment smuggled in by the gang for the Mumbai serial bombings.
"Muzamil Kadri is also given an enhanced punishment of 6 years' rigorous imprisonment under Section 6 with an additional fine of Rs.50,000. All the three sentences will run concurrently."
Among the others sentenced Wednesday was a former Rhodes scholar and erstwhile prince of Tonk in Rajasthan, Ahmed Shah Khan Durrani who was found guilty of sheltering convicts at his palace.
He was given rigorous imprisonment for five years and a fine of Rs.25,000.
Khalil Ahmed Nasir, a landing agent, was sentenced on three counts including 10-years' rigorous imprisonment for conspiracy under Section 120(B) with a fine Rs.50,000, another 10-year rigorous imprisonment for aiding and abetting the terror act with an additional fine of Rs.25,000 and an enhanced punishment of six-year rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs.25,000.
"Khalil Ahmed Nasir was actively involved with both the landings in Shekhadi and Dighi and had hand in bribing police officials to facilitate the transport of the RDX, arms and ammunition," Kode said.
Mohammed Dawood Khan, a close aide of jailed mobster Ijaz Pathan, on two counts of six-years' rigorous imprisonment each with a total fine of Rs.50,000 for procession of weapons.
The court also sentenced Mohammed Yusuf Botomiya to six years' rigorous imprisonment and ordered him to pay a fine of Rs.50,000 for illegally possessing an AK-56 rifle
Aziz Sheikh, found guilty for illegal possession of arms, was sentenced to five years' rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs.50,000.
The court has so far handed out sentences to 50 of the 100 convicts in the case.
Those awaiting sentence include Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, found guilty under the Arms Act for possession of weapons.
Sentences for the remaining convicts are likely to be pronounced in two weeks.