Al-Umma chief gets four years RI

A special court in Poonamallee in Tamil Nadu on Monday handed down four years' rigorous imprisonment to Al-Umma leader S A Basha in the Chennai explosives recovery case of March 1998. 

Special Judge L Rajendran also handed down four years' RI and three months simple imprisonment to twelve other accused in the case, including Usman Ali and his wife Ayesha, alias Sangeetha.

With the court having acquitted one of the 24 accused while convicting the rest on Friday, the other ten accused have been sentenced to serve a three-month simple imprisonment term.

The judge had earlier handed down 16 years' RI to some of the accused on various counts, which, he added, would run concurrently with the new sentence.

The case related to the recovery of explosives from various locations in Chennai city in March 1998, hours before they were to be exploded.

The incident closely followed the February 14 Coimbatore serial blasts and the recovery of explosives had caused tension in Chennai.

Basha, who was arrested in connection with the Coimbatore serial blasts, was convicted under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, for conspiracy.