1993 serial blasts convicts shifted to other jails in Maha

The convicts in the 1993 serial blasts case who were lodged in prisons here have been shifted to other jails in Maharashtra.
The jail authorities had this week informed the special TADA court, which heard the case, about the shifting of the convicts.
According to a communication, two convicts -- Feroz Abdul Rashid Khan and Tahir Merchant -- who were sentenced to death in the case -- were moved to Nagpur and Pune respectively.
Those who are handed the death sentence in Maharashtra are moved to the Pune or Nagpur jails, the only two prisons in the state which have gallows.

While Karimullah Khan, who was sentenced to life in prison, was taken to the Nashik jail, another Mumbai blasts convict Riyaz Siddiqui, who will spend 10 years behind bars, has been taken to the Pune jail.
However, gangster Abu Salem is still lodged in the Taloja prison near the city.

"This could be because he is facing trial in several other cases in different states and it would be easier to take him from Taloja," an official said.
The special TADA court had in June convicted six persons, including mastermind Mustafa Dossa and Salem, in the case, 24 years after the bomb blasts left 257 people dead in the country's financial capital.

It had, however, let off accused Abdul Quayyum for want of evidence against him.
All the seven accused were facing multiple charges which included criminal conspiracy, waging war against the Government of India and murder.
Dossa had died of cardiac arrest at J J Hospital in Mumbai, shortly after being convicted, on June 28.
Special TADA judge G A Sanap had pronounced the sentence on September 7.