73 Al Umma men guilty in Coimbatore blasts, Mahdhani acquitted (Night Lead)
A court here Wednesday convicted 73 leaders and activists of the banned radical outfit Al Umma in the 1998 serial bombings that killed 58 people here though it acquitted Kerala-based People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Abdul Nasser Mahdhani of all charges.
The court said there was 'not sufficient evidence' against Mahdhani and found him 'not guilty' of the charges against him.
Al Umma chief S.A. Basha, the prime accused, and its general secretary Mohammed Ansari were convicted of criminal conspiracy, supplying and transporting the bombs that rocked Coimbatore city Feb 14, 1998, during then home minister L.K. Advani's election tour.
The bombings also injured 250 people and caused loss of property worth Rs.140 million.
The verdict by Sessions Court Judge K. Uthirapathi led to jubilation among PDP activists in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Kerala who were waiting for the release of the ailing Mahdhani.
Mahdhani is likely to come out of jail soon and be taken to Kerala. 'We are working out the legal formalities for his release,' Abdur Rahman, a member of his legal team, told the media here.
He has been acquitted of all five charges, including criminal conspiracy. He has been in Coimbatore jail for over nine years. The Kerala assembly passed a resolution last year appealing for his release.
The plea for a compassionate approach to the physically challenged Mahdhani was made repeatedly by prominent personalities, including former Supreme Court judge V.R. Krishna Iyer.
Some other Al Umma activists charged with criminal conspiracy include Tajuddin and Fazal, Nawas Khan, Baasheed, Rasheen, S.A. Mohammed Aulkhan, Siddiq Ali, Babu, Jaheer Hussain, Abdul Salam, Tada Aslam and Siraj.
The judge said the major charge under Section 120b (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) had been proved against 73 of the 166 accused.
The charges against eight people had not been proved, the judge concluded.
He deferred the verdict against five people and said there were minor charges against the remaining accused.
The judge began reading his verdicts at 10 a.m. and had read 102 verdicts till the court went into recess in the afternoon.
A special investigation team probing the blasts said the terror attack was carried out under the name 'Operation Alla Ho! Akbar' and was intended to kill Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Advani.
Police said the blasts were in retaliation to the killing of 17 Muslims in a riot and subsequent police firing after one policeman was killed in Coimbatore on Nov 29, 1997.
In the trial that began in March 2002, the court has heard the testimony of 1,300 witnesses.
The punishments will be announced from Aug 6, most probably under the Possession of Explosives Act and they may include life terms.
The daylong court session was held amid tight security. 'So far, the city is quiet and no untoward incident has been reported,' Coimbatore Police Commissioner C.K. Gandhirajan told the media.
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