Bombay High Court rejects plea of 1993 blast convict for release on parole

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court today rejected the plea of Abdul Ghani Turk, convicted in the 1993 bomb blast case, seeking his release on parole for a day to attend his daughter's wedding.

The petition filed by Turk was rejected by Justice R Y Ganoo and Justice Nitin Jamdar after police opposed it saying that taking the convict from the jail to the wedding venue would be a risky proposition.

The venue of the wedding was Dongri area in South Mumbai which was highly sensitive area and this might pose a security hazard for the escort team, police informed the court. There could be law and order problem also, they feared.

The Judges felt that the High Court was not the appropriate forum to decide the matter about granting parole to the convict as his appeal was pending in the Supreme Court.

The Court had on last occasion sought a verification report from the police about releasing the convict for a day on parole for his daughter's wedding.

Turk, who was awarded death penalty by a special TADA court in 2006, had sought directions to be issued to the prison authorities to release him for a day on June 4.

Turk's petition stated that his last daughter is getting married on June 4 and he wants to attend it. Turk wants to be brought to Mumbai from Yerawada prison in Pune, where he is lodged after conviction.

A few years back, Turk was granted a similar relief when his mother had expired. The high court had then allowed him to attend his mother's last rites at Dongri in Mumbai.

Turk has been convicted for his role in the Century Bazaar blast at Worli in Central Mumbai on March 13, 1993.

Altogether 257 were killed and 173 injured when series of explosions rocked 13 places in the city on March 12, 1993.

Turk, one of the most-trusted lieutenant of Tiger Memon (wanted accused), was charged with driving an explosives-laden vehicle and parked it outside the Century Bazaar.