1993 Mumbai blast case: Special TADA court expected to pronounce orders against Abu Salem, 6 others

The special TADA court is expected to begin sentencing Abu Salem and six other sin the 1993 Mumbai blast case on Monday. Apart from underworld don Salem, other accused include Mustafa Dossa, Abdul Qayyum, Shaikh Firoz Khan, Tahir Merchant, Riyaz Siddiqui and Karimullah Sheikh.

One of prime accused in the case, Yakub Menon was hanged in July 2015 in Mumbai after being convicted and awarded capital punishment in the case. 

The current case under trial is known as Case B of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts as the seven accused were arrested when the trial for the case had already begun which involved 123 accused. 

Salem was deported from Portugal while Dossa was deported from UAE. Dossa claims he wasn't deported but he had surrendered himself to the investigating team.

Some other prime accused who still remain at large in the case are Dawood Ibrahim, Mohammad Dossa and Tiger Memon.

Gangster Abu Salem is accused of supplying weapons to actor Sanjay Dutt, who is serving a five-year-term and transporting arms and ammunition. Mustafa Dossa is facing charges of conspiracy and landing the ammunition.

Qayoom is charged with delivering the weapons to Dutt. Tahir is accused of arranging for the other convicts to travel to Pakistan.

The second trial has lasted more than six years in which the prosecution relied heavily on confessions of the 129 suspects tried earlier. 

257 people were killed in 12 blasts on March 12, 1993. Over 3,000 kg of RDX was brought into the country for the blasts, of which a mere 10 per cent were used.