MUMBAI, 28 July 2007 — Yaqub Memon, the chartered accountant brother of prime accused Tiger Memon, became the 12th convict to be sent to the gallows yesterday by special judge P.D. Kode of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) in the 1993 serial Bombay bomb blasts.
Yusuf Memon and Essa Memon, two other brothers of Tiger Memon, and his sister-in-law Rubina Memon were sentenced to life imprisonment. Another convict, Razzak Memon, the father of the prime accused, died during the trial.
All eyes were on Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt and three of his accomplices yesterday, but judge Kode postponed their sentence to July 31. As of yesterday, the special anti-terrorism court had sentenced 12 convicts to death and 20 to life imprisonment. Out of the 100 convicts 96 have so far been sentenced. The sentencing of all the convicted members of the Memon family have been completed, except for the absconding prime accused Tiger Memon.
Speaking to journalists outside the court, the special public prosecutor Ujwal Nikam said the court sentenced Yaqub Memon to death for conspiracy and arranging finance for the serial blasts. The convict was found guilty of financing the serial blasts through co-accused Mulchand Shah and the firm M/s Tejarat International owned by his brother Ayub Memon, who is also absconding, Nikam said.
The judge, Nikam said, also found Yaqub guilty of providing tickets to the co-accused who were sent to Pakistan via Dubai for training in arms and ammunition and with purchasing vehicles that were used in the blasts by planting explosives.
Besides, Yaqub was also held guilty of possessing arms and ammunition and distributing them among the co-accused. The other three accused — Yusuf, Essa and Rubina — were held guilty of participating in the serial blasts conspiracy.
As the judge pronounced the verdict, Yaqub screamed at the judge and had to be restrained by police. As he was being escorted out, Yaqub pointed toward judge Kode and said:” Oh Allah, pardon this man. I would like to forgive this judge, though I know well that I will never get justice.”
After Yaqub’s outbursts, Nikam appealed to the court not to allow the convict to meet his relatives before being taken to the Yerawada Central Prison in Pune. The 11 other convicts on the death row in the serial bomb blasts case are lodged at the Yerawada and a tight vigil is kept on them round the clock to foil any suicide attempt.
