Continuing its sentencing on the third day, the Special TADA Court on Tuesday gave former police sub-inspector Vijay Patil a life sentence for being a part of the 1993 blasts conspiracy, aiding and abetting prime conspirators and allowing trucks laden with arms and ammunition to enter the city.
This is the first time that the court has pronounced a life sentence, ever since the process of handing down convictions began on May 18. The court also sentenced five other convicts to six years rigorous imprisonment for going to Pakistan via Dubai and undergoing training in arms and ammunition. Another convict was sentenced to seven years for the same charge, as he had also additionally attended a pre-blast meeting in Mumbai.
Special Judge Pramod Kode, while sentencing Patil, also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on him. “He joined hands with terrorists for his personal gain. The state government showed high trust in him by making him the in-charge of Shrivardhan police station, but Patil betrayed that trust and misused his power and position for pecuniary gains. Such a person cannot be shown leniency,” the judge said.
Soon after the sentencing, Patil went back to the accused bench, where he sat next to co-accused Uttam Potdar, who had bribed Patil in order to allow the consignment of arms into the city. Potdar was heard telling Patil: “Don’t worry, things will be fine.”
{{/usCountry}}Soon after the sentencing, Patil went back to the accused bench, where he sat next to co-accused Uttam Potdar, who had bribed Patil in order to allow the consignment of arms into the city. Potdar was heard telling Patil: “Don’t worry, things will be fine.”
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