MUMBAI: The CBI said on Tuesday 1993 Mumbai blasts convicts
Mustafa Dossa
and
Feroz Khan “played a role more serious than or parallel to Yakub Memon“ — hanged after the first blasts trial -and sought death for them during the hearing for the sentencing of the six convicted in the second trial.
CBI special public prosecutor Deepak Salvi, who had opened his submissions last week by saying he was seeking the “maximum prescribed punishment'' for all convicts, is now listing the quantum along with aggravating circumstances for each. On Tuesday , Salvi started with Dossa. “He is the main conspirator of the blasts,'' he said.Dossa, a smuggler, was at the conspiracy meetings from the beginning and helped with smuggling arms into India, he pointed out. As Salvi called Dossa's crime “heinous, dastardly , demonic and diabolical'', the convict, claiming to be “unwell“, sat on his bench with his head resting on the railing in front.
Turning to Feroz, Salvi cited the
Supreme Court's 2013 ruling on
Yakub Memon
, brother of prime absconding accused Tiger Memon, that though he was not directly involved, by complying with his brother's directives he effectively ensured the execution of the blasts. “Similarly , by complying with what the Dossa gang wanted, Feroz, who had a dominating position, was one of the brains behind the conspiracy ,'' said Salvi, adding that Feroz had behaved in an absolute “obdurate, insolent and tiresome'' manner while disputing his identity during the trial.
Salvi listed out 27 broad counts under which aggravating circumstances can be considered and said both Dossa and Feroz -like Yakub Memon -“had effective control over the incident'' and could have stopped the blast, but chose not to.
Feroz's claim that his refusal to go to Pakistan for weapons training was a sign of his withdrawal from the crime was flipped by Salvi as evidence of his “commanding role“ and “closeness to the Dossa brothers“. Both convicts had “no intent of averting the incident“ and had the “highest degree of responsibility towards committing the crime“, he added.
Advocate Yug Chaudhary will now be appearing for Dossa to seek leniency .
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