Pune: Indian Mujahideen operative Himayat Baig was awarded the death sentence by a Pune court yesterday for murder, criminal conspiracy and other charges in the 2010 German Bakery terrorist attack.
Baig was the only accused arrested for his role in the explosion, which killed 17, including five foreigners, in what was the worst extremist strike after the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
The verdict draws the curtains on the Valentine’s Day-eve tragedy of February 13, 2010, which shook the state’s academic and cultural capital.
Pune Sessions Court Special Judge N P Dhote delivered the verdict in a packed courtroom.
During arguments on the quantum of sentence in the afternoon, Baig broke down claiming innocence and pleaded for mercy.
He was held guilty by the court on April 15.
According to the prosecution, Baig planted the bomb under one of the tables in the German Bakery.
His lawyer A Rahman opposed the prosecution’s claim that there was a link between Indian Mujahideen, banned since 2004, and terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, and that the two groups jointly carried out the attack.
He further contended that Baig was framed by the investigators and they had neither arrested nor presented the six other accused in the case.
“Vodafone provided evidence based on phone records that at the time of the blast, Baig was in Aurangabad. The accused had never been to Pune before the blast and six witnesses also gave evidence to this effect. The prosecution could not prove the conspiracy theory nor did it produce the other accused before the court,” Rahman said soon after the verdict.
The prosecution had named Baig and six other accused in the charge sheet, including absconders Yasin Bhatkal, Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal, Mohsin Choudhary and Fazzay Kagti.
Another accused, Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, is currently undergoing trial in other terror cases in the country.
Rahman said though he respected the court’s verdict, he would appeal against it in the Bombay High Court.
Among other offence, Baig has been convicted under Indian Penal Code Sections 302, 307 (murder and attempt to murder), 435, 474 (mischief by fire and explosive and forgery) and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), besides other charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Explosives Act.
IANS
