7/11 blasts: 5 get death, 7 face life term

Nine years after serial bomb blasts ripped through suburban trains killing 189 people, a special court today sentenced to death five convicts and gave life term to seven others, all having links with banned terror outfit SIMI.
The court also slapped on the convicts a hefty sum of Rs 1.51 crore as fine, directing each one to pay over Rs 11 lakh.
Imposing death penalty on five convicts, the Judge Yatin D Shinde wrote in his order, "They shall be hanged by their neck till they are dead."
All the convicts stood with a blank face and heard the verdict carefully while the Judge handed down the quantum of sentence to the guilty.

The five convicts who got capital punishment were Kamal Ahamed Ansari (37), Mohd Faisal Shaikh (36) Ehtesham Siddiqui (30), Naveed Hussain Khan (30) and Asif Khan (38).
They were held guilty under section 302 IPC (murder) and section 3(1)(i) of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) which deals with organised crime.

Seven accused facing life term were 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 over 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 Rs 11 lakh each, the maximum fine of Rs 15.45 lakhs was imposed on Mohammed Faisal.
Outside the court, some convicts told reporters that they were dejected with the verdict of the trial court and will file an appeal in the 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 too claimed that they were innocent and had been falsely implicated.
The serial blasts in seven Mumbai local trains on 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.