MUMBAI: For Sudhakar Kamble, one of those injured when seven train blasts ripped through Mumbai on July 11, 2006, the wait has been too long. “Nine years is too long a time. I demand death penalty for the guilty. The government should take swift action to nab those who are still at large,” he said. Kamble did not conceal his sense of satisfaction as special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) judge Yatin D Shinde held 12 of the 13 accused SIMI terrorists guilty, while acquitting one. Kamble was on the train between Bandra and Khar Road when the explosions happened.
According to Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare, all the 12 convicted were found guilty of criminal conspiracy (IPC section 120 (B)), murder (IPC Section 302) and Section 311 of MCOCA and could receive the death penalty.
Thakare said that the court seemed to have accepted two evidences submitted by the prosecution. One was that the SIMI members held several conspiratorial meetings at convict Muhammad Faisal Shaikh’s house in Bandra and that the bombs were assembled at another convict Muhammed Ali’s house.
When asked about the reason of acquittal of accused Abdul Wahid, Thakare said, “The charge against him was of harbouring terrorists. One witness had supported the charge. However, the witness turned hostile.”
Then ATS chief K P Raghuvanshi, who headed the probe, recalled how difficult it had been to procure clues in the case. “It was a crowded scene. It was raining. It was getting dark. There was no clue. Teams had to work hard to get this case to its logical end,” he said.
In the case that lasted eight years, the prosecution examined 192 witnesses. In the case, 30 people were chargesheeted, of whom 17 are still absconding. Among these are 13 Pakistanis, including Azam Chima, an alleged LeT member.
