5 get death for 7/11 mumbai blasts

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Mumbai, Oct 1: Nine years after serial bomb blasts ripped through suburban trains killing 189 people, a special court Wednesday sentenced to death five convicts and awarded life term to seven others, all having links with banned terror
outfit SIMI.
The court also slapped on the convicts a hefty fine of
`1.51 crore, directing each one to pay more than  `11 lakh.
All the convicts stood with a blank face while Judge Yatin D Shinde handed down the quantum of sentence to the guilty.
The five convicts who got capital punishment are Kamal Ahamed Ansari (37), Mohd Faisal Shaikh (36) Ehtesham Siddiqui (30), Naved Hussain Khan (30) and Asif Khan (38). They were held guilty under section 302 IPC (murder) and section 3(1)(i) of the Maha­rashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), which deals with organised crime.
The seven accused facing life term are Tanvir Ahmed Ansari (37), Mohammad Majid Shafi (32), Shaikh Alam Shaikh (41), Mohd Sajid Ansari (34), Muzza­mmil Shaikh (27), Soheil Mehm­ood Shaikh (43) and Zamir Ahmad Shaikh (36).
The judge handed life sentences to the seven convicts under the provisions of IPC, Exp­losives Act, Unlawful Acti­vities Prevention Act, Preven­tion of Damage to Public Prop­erty Act and Indian Railways Act and MCOCA.
While 11 convicts have to pay over `11 lakh each, the maximum fine of `15.45 lakh was imposed on Mohd Faisal.
Outside the court, some convicts said they would file an appeal in Bombay High Court. Naved, who was given death sentence, said, “I knew what was coming but I am hopeful that my innocence would be proved in the higher courts.” Other death convicts Ehtesham and Asif also claimed that they were innocent and had been falsely implicated.
The serial blasts in seven Mumbai local trains July 11, 2006, left 189 dead and 829 injured within a span of 10 minutes between Khar Road-Santacruz, Bandra-Khar Road, Jogeshwari-Mahim Junction, Mira Road-Bhayander, Matunga-Mahim Junction and Borivali. RDX bombs had exploded in the first class coaches of local trains during evening peak hours.
The Anti Terrorist Squad chargesheet said that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were made in a room in subur­ban Govandi and some Pakis­tani nationals were also present during the bomb-making. However, all of them are still
absconding.
After the verdict, defence lawyers said the judgment was a grave ‘miscarriage of justice’ and they would challenge it in Bombay High Court.
Former ATS chief KP Raghu­vanshi, who led the investigation, said the verdict vindicated the efforts of the police.
“I am happy that the court has appreciated the evidence and given an appropriate quantum of punishment in the case,” he said.
Families of the victims hailed the verdict observing that justice has been delayed but has not been denied.  PTI