CBI keen on lifer for Abu Salem

Mumbai: The Special CBI counsel Deepak Salvi on Tuesday sought life imprisonment for 1993 serial blasts’ convict and extradited gangster Abu Salem and Riyaz Siddiqui who were convicted for their alleged roles by a special TADA court last month.

The CBI has emphasised that Salem deserves death penalty but since section 34(c) of the Indian Extradition Act restricts it from seeking death for him, the agency has sought life-term for Salem.  

Mr Salvi told the court that Salem deserves death penalty but due to section 34 (c) of the Indian Extradition Act, we can’t give death penalty to Salem. The court asked Mr Salvi as to why he wanted it to mention about death to Salem in the findings of the judgment.

Mr Salvi argued that Salem is the main conspirator of 1993 blasts. He had high degree of responsibility to plan and execute the blast. In the year 1993, Salem was a gang member of Dawood and Anees Ibrahim.

He was in a commanding position in the gang. Mr Salvi argued that Salem had two passports which he had used for absconding. He pointed out to the court that Salem was a habitual offender and the Indian government had submitted list of crimes to Portugal while taking his custody. He also reminded that the TADA court had declared him a terrorist twice.

Mr Salvi also sought life imprisonment for Riyaz Sidddiqui.

“Siddiqui went to Bharuch, Gujarat to smuggle arms and ammunition used in the 1993 blasts. He drove a white Maruti car, which had a cavity in it to smuggle the arms and ammunition. He exchanged that car with Salem,” Mr Salvi said.

He further added, “257 people died and 713 people got injured in the 1993 blasts.”

The court directed accused Firoz Khan to deposit Rs 2000 as penalty because last month Khan’s lawyer Wahab Khan had denied examining two witnesses for the mitigating circumstances.

The court also ordered that accused Khan would have to deposit Rs 5,000 more if he wants the witnesses back in the court.

Nabbing salem and siddiqui: A time line

• The TADA court had issued a proclamation against Abu Salem, originally a gangster from Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, on September 15, 1993. The mafia don was detained in Lisbon, Portugal on September 18, 2002 and extradited to India on November 11, 2005.
• Charges were framed against him on December 9, 2005. Salem has been charged with going to Bharuch in Gujarat in second week of January 1993 with absconding accused Aziz Bilakhia in a Maruti to receive arms, ammunition and explosives. He allegedly received nine AK-56 rifles about 100 hand grenades, some boxes of cartridges and magazines from a village, Sansrod, transported the same in Mumbai via Bhiwandi and Thane concealed in false cavities of a Maruti van that was given to him by co-accused Riyaz Ahmed Siddique.
• Riyaz Siddiqui was charged under provisions of the TADA Act for criminal conspiracy to commit a terrorist act in India. He was convicted under section 3(3), of TADA.