They were convicted under various sections of TADA and IPC.
One of the accused, Sikkander Badhusha, is still absconding. A total of 185 witnesses were examined and documentary evidence was produced in Court.
Two former hardcore members of banned terror outfit Al-Umma have been identified as the masterminds behind the plot to target the convoy of Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani during his yatra near in Madurai and a manhunt is on to nab them, Special Investigation Team officials said.
Kovilpatti Sub-Court Judge Manjula on Wednesday convicted the four of attempt to murder, robbery, possessing and smuggling explosives and cheating. A fine of Rs 25,000 each was also imposed on them. The sentences would, however, run concurrently.
Suspected ISI agent Mohtisam Billa, who was recently arrested in Hyderabad, has revealed that he was a member of Al-Umma, the terror outfit responsible for the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts.
The Madras High Court on Friday upheld the life sentence awarded to 18 Al-Umma activists and also the exoneration of People's Democratic Party leader Abdul Nasser Madani by a trial court in cases relating to the 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blasts in which 52 people were killed and over 200 others injured.
Earlier, the judge had convicted 153 of the total 167 accused, including Al-Umma leader S A Basha, on August 1. Eight others were acquitted.
Coimbatore will be under a tight security cover on Wednesday when a special court pronounces sentences for the 70 people convicted of criminal conspiracy and murder charges in the 1998 serial blasts case. The founder-leader of the proscribed Al-Umma S A Basha and its general secretary Mohammed Ansari are among the 70 convicts.
The card, purportedly written by 'Al-Umma-Madhani Iyakkam, in Tamil has said that Karunanidhi, after returning to power, had promised to relax the age ceiling for recruitment to police from 24 to 29.
Resuming the pronouncement of sentences in the 1998 serial blasts case on the second day, a Coimbatore court on Thursday awarded double life terms to six convicts and imprisonments ranging from 7 to 21 years to 18 others. Six of them were awarded double life terms and a jail term of 10 to 40 years on various charges which would run concurrently. Twelve convicts were sentenced to undergo 13 years in prison for conspiracy and seven to 21 years on other charges.
The judge sentenced 11 convicts to undergo life imprisonment for one term, 10 to a double life term, and awarded three life terms for one and four life terms for another for conspiracy and imprisonment ranging from three years to 125 years for various charges, while four others were awarded maximum 10 years for conspiracy and nine years to 70 years for different charges.
Special judge K Uthirapathi had on August 1, convicted 70 out of the 166 persons against whom charges were framed under various sections. Eight others, including Kerala-based PDP leader, Abdul Nasser Madhani, were released as charges against them were not proved.
52 people were killed and 167 others were injured in the blasts that targeted the venue of senior BJP leader L K Advani's election campaign.
P V Bakthavatchalam will be part of the international panel of lawyers being constituted to defend Saddam Hussein.
Expressing shock over the "brutal murder" of BJP state general secretary V Ramesh, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Sunday constituted a Special Investigation Division under the Director General of Police (CB-CID) to probe the case.
The Tamil Nadu state unit of the BJP has been alleging that its leaders have been systematically being attacked/murdered in the state. A Ganesh Nadar bring to light five cases where workers of the BJP or its affiliate organisations were attacked to find out if there is any truth in the charges.
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