Mumbai twin blasts: Three sentenced to death

Mumbai, Aug 6 (PTI) Three persons, including a woman,
were Thursday sentenced to death by a special court for their
involvement in the 2003 blasts at the iconic Gateway of India
and Zaveri Bazaar here which left 54 dead and 244 injured.

Mohammed Hanif Sayed, his wife Fahimda and Ashrat
Ansari were sentenced to death by a special Prevention of
Terrorism Act court.

This is for the first time that a couple is being
convicted by a Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court for
their involvement in carrying out blasts.

The trio was held guilty of planting two bombs that
exploded at the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar on August
25, 2003. They had also planted a bomb on July 28, 2003 in a
municipal bus in suburban Ghatkopar which killed two persons.

Hanif, who was present in court dressed in a white
kurta pyjama, did not show any reaction when the verdict was
delivered.

His wife Fahmida remained silent at the time of the
pronouncement of the judgement but broke down as she left the
court premises.

Speaking outside the court, Special Public Prosecutor
Ujjwal Nikam said the trio deserved the death penalty as the
case fell in the rarest of the rare category.

"We are happy that all three got the death penalty. It
is a message to people who indulge in terrorism that the law
will not spare them if they commit such barbarous acts," Nikam
said.

The trio was sentenced to death under section 3(2) of
POTA, and sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and
120 (b) (conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code, he said.

They were sentenced to varying prison terms under the
provisions of Explosives Substances Act, Explosives Act and
Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

"Initally they had planted a bomb in a bus but since
few people were killed, they decided to use powerful
explosives on the instructions of Laskhar-e-Taiba," Nikam
said.

Nikam said Zaveri Bazaar in south Mumbai was chosen since
the trio wanted to target the famous Mumbadevi temple nearby.
The historic Gateway of India was also chosen since they
wanted to target the nearby Hotel Taj where many foreign
tourists stay.

"The aim of LeT was to destabilize India with these
blasts," the special public prosecutor said.

Along with the couple, Hanif and Fahimda, their
16-year-old daughter was also arrested for her alleged
involvement in the blasts.

However, she was discharged since the prosecution chose
not to investigate the charges against her as she was a minor.

Two other accused, Mohammed Ansari Ladoowala and
Mohammed Hasan Batterywala, were also discharged from the case
by the POTA court after the Supreme Court upheld a POTA review
committee report that said there was no case against the duo.

An accused-turned-approver had told the court that the
meeting to hatch the conspiracy was organised in Dubai by LeT.

Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) activists had come from Pakistan to
attend the meeting, the approver, whose name has been kept a
secret, said.

The motive behind the blasts was to seek vengeance for
the atrocities meted against the minority community during the
Godhra carnage in Gujarat in 2002, he had told investigators.
PTI