Basha, nine others get life in blasts case

Al Umma leaders Basha, Ansari among those sentenced; 35 more to be sentenced today

CHENNAI: A special court in Coimbatore on Wednesday awarded life imprisonment to 31 of the convicts in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts case, including Al Umma founder leader S A Basha and its general secretary Mohammed Ansari. While Basha got life sentence and three years rigorous imprisonment, Ansari got two life sentences and 75 years imprisonment. Four others who were awarded 10 years imprisonment may be set free since they have already spent ten years in jail.

The Special Court had convicted 158 of the 168 accused, but acquitted eight including Kerala-based People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Abdul Nasser Madhani. All those sentenced to life, including prime accused Basha and second accused Ansari, were charged with criminal conspiracy and murder.

The Al Umma activists were accused of triggering a series of blasts codenamed ‘Allahu Akbar’ on February 14 1998, minutes before the arrival of then home minister LK Advani for an election meeting. Nineteen blasts in different parts of Coimbatore had killed 58 people and injured 250 others, besides causing loss of property worth Rs 15 crore.

Soon after special judge K Uthirapathi pronounced his sentence, Basha (59) said: “Only Muslims are being punished in this country, while the parivar outfils are never pulled up.” Ansari echoed the sentiment and requested that all the convicts should be kept in the Coimbatore prison since it was their home town. “This is a punishment not for us,” he said, “but for our families”. Basith, the fifth accused and the bomb-maker who was given a life sentence, five seven-year sentences and one three-year sentence, said: “Only Muslims spend their lives in jail, while Advanis and Modis remain in power. Withdraw the security of these leaders and see what will happen...”

The court had earlier sentenced 88 of the accused, of whom 83 were set free because they had been in jail for the sentence period. The special court will pronounce the sentences of the 35 other convicts on Thursday. Security was tightened in and around Coimbatore right from Monday in preparation of the pronouncement of sentences.