Just in: A Special POTA court pronounces the sentence for 10 convicts in the 2002-2003 Mumbai bomb blasts.

The court pronounces life imprisonment for main accused Muzammil, while the rest of the accused to be set free after they furnish bail bonds as per procedure, as they have already undergone their maximum punishment.


Three convicted accused including Saquib Nachan, who the police said were the mastermind of the blasts, were given 10 years' sentence so they have to undergo two more years in jail. 


On March 29, the POTA court convicted 10 people and acquitted three, in the triple bomb blasts case in Mumbai between December 2002 and March 2003.

Saquib Nachan, who police said is the mastermind, had been convicted. Adnan Mulla, Harroon Lohar and Nadeem Paloba have been acquitted for lack of evidence.

All the accused have been charged with murder, attempt to murder, grievous hurt waging a war against the nation, criminal conspiracy under the IPC and on several charges under the Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act, and POTA.

The three blasts, killed twelve people and injured 139. According to the Mumbai police, the act was the handiwork of the banned organisation SIMI. Prosecution alleged that former general secretary of SIMI, Saquib Nachan along with Pakistani national and member of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Faisal Khan were the mastermind behind the blast, along with 23 other accused. Out of the total 25 accused, five including Khan died ,while five other accused are still absconding.


The Maharashtra government had sought the death sentence for Muzammil Ansari for his involvement in the Mumbai blasts. Ansari was convicted for being part of the conspiracy and planting the bombs at three locations.


The Mulund train blasts occurred on March 13, 2003, killing 12 persons and injuring 71. Earlier, on December 6, 2002 several persons were injured in the blast at McDonald's at Mumbai Central station, while a person died when a bomb attached to a cycle exploded in a market area in Vile Parle (East) on January 27, 2003.