MUMBAI/PUNE, 26 July 2007 — An Indian anti-terrorism court yesterday sentenced to death a Muslim man over the country’s worst bombings, making him the 11th person to be condemned to death for planting explosives in India’s financial capital in 1993.
At least 257 people were killed in 13 blasts at several Mumbai landmarks, including the main stock exchange, a popular cinema and two crowded markets.
Judge P.D. Kode of the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (TADA) Act court found Mohammed Farooq Pawale guilty of parking two cars packed with high explosives at separate places that killed 24 people.
“There cannot be any other sentence which is adequate but death,” Judge Kode said. The death sentences have to be ratified by the Supreme Court.
Kode in his verdict observed that Pawale had planted the bomb at a petrol pump with the intention of causing massive damage.
The court handed down the death sentence on five counts that included conspiracy, commission of a terrorist act and murder. Pawale had parked a vehicle filled with explosives and fitted with a timer device at the lucky petrol pump near the Shiv Sena party headquarters, Sena Bhavan, in central Mumbai and the resulting blast killed four persons and injured 38. He was also part of a group that parked a car laden with RDX near the Air-India building in south Mumbai, which exploded killing 20 and causing injuries to 87 people.
The TADA court has yet to sentence four members of Tiger Memon family, which includes his three brothers.
The bombings, police say, were carried out at the behest of India’s most wanted man, Dawood Ibrahim, to avenge the destruction of Babri Mosque by Hindu zealots in 1992 and subsequent riots in which many Muslims were killed.
The special anti-terrorism court convicted 100 people in the attacks after a nearly 14-year trial ended last year.
It has so far punished 92 of them, mostly with varying jail terms and fines for crimes such as conspiracy, abetment and illegal possession of arms.
Those sentenced so far include smugglers, petty criminals and a Bollywood producer, as well as policemen and customs officials who took bribes to let the explosives through.
