Ahmedabad, January 25: Gujarat High Court on Monday enhanced the sentence of four persons convicted under POTA in the 2002 tiffin bomb blast case from 10 years to life imprisonment while acquitting one person.
A division bench of Justice Jayant Patel and Justice H B Antani acquitted Ahmed Hussain Mansuri in the same case of all charges.
The court enhanced the sentences of Anas Machiswala, Mohammad Hanif Pakitwala, Kalim Ahmed, Mohammad Habib Hawa.
These five persons had approached the High Court challenging the verdict of a special POTA court convicting them in the 2002 tiffin bomb blast case in which 13 passengers were injured and sentencing them for 10 years imprisonment.
The designated Pota judge Sonia Gokani had convicted the five in May 2006 while acquitting 12 other accused in the case.
They were convicted for planting bombs in tiffins inside five Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) run buses, which went off injuring 13 passengers on May 29, 2002.
According to Special Public Prosecutors J M Panchal and Kamal Panchal, they had submitted that all the five were accused of a serious crime and it would prove harmful it they were let out.
They had also requested enhancement of their sentence to the maximum available under the provision of POTA.
They were convicted under section 3(1) and 3(3) of the Pota, IPC 120 (B) (conspiracy) and 307 (attempt to murder), explosive substance Act and Bombay Police Act 135(1).
Initially, 21 persons were charge-sheeted in this connection by the city crime branch. All were accused of hatching conspiracy for riots reprisal. They were booked under special Pota laws, Explosive Substance Act as well as IPC.
Four persons were discharged by the POTA court and finally trial was conducted against 17 accused.
–PTI