Abu Salem Sentenced To Life imprisonment in 1993 Mumbai Blast Case

Mumbai: Abu Salem sentenced to life in jail today after being convicted of involvement in the 1993 Mumbai blast where 257 persons died and more than 700 seriously injured.

A special court on Thursday sentenced convicts – Tahir Merchant alias Tahir Taklya, a close associate of Karachi-based underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, and Feroze Abdul Rashid Kahan – to death in the 12 March 1993, serial blasts case.

On 16 June, the court had convicted six persons – Mustafa Dossa alias Mustafa Majnu, Abu Salem, Karimullah Khan, Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan, Riyaz Siddiqui and Tahir Merchant alias Tahir Taklya.

The seventh accused, Abdul Qayyum, was acquitted because of lack of evidence.

The court had earlier held that prosecution proved Salem was one of the main conspirators and he delivered three AK-56 rifles and ammunition and hand grenades to actor Sanjay Dutt (convicted in earlier phase of trial under the Arms Act).

Salem, who was close to (Dawood’s brother) Anees Ibrahim and Dossa, took upon of himself to bring a part of arms and ammunition from Dighi to Mumbai, the court earlier said.

This was “vital towards achievement of the conspiracy so that the weapons could be used to terrorise and torment innocent citizens of India,” the court had said.

This was the second leg of the trial of the 12 March, 1993 serial blasts case. In the first leg, as many as 100 accused were convicted and 23 were acquitted by the then special TADA judge PD Kode. As many as 12 of them were given capital punishments. However, the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of 11 of them to life except for Yakub Memon, who was hanged to death couple of years ago.