In a significant development related to the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, a special court in Mumbai has ordered that 14 properties belonging to one of the prime accused, Tiger Memon, and his family be handed over to the central government. The properties had been under the possession of a court-appointed receiver from the Bombay High Court since 1994, following an earlier order under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) of 1987.
These assets include a flat in Bandra (West), an office complex and a plot in Mahim, a plot and a flat in Santacruz (East), two flats in a Kurla building, an office on Mohammad Ali Road, a shop and plot in Dongri, three shops in the Manish Market area, and a building on Sheikh Memon Street in Mumbai.
On March 26, Special TADA Court Judge V. D. Kedar passed an order directing that the immovable properties be handed over to the central government. As per agency report, the court clarified that these assets are free from any encumbrances, making the central government entitled to take possession through a competent authority.
The action follows a petition filed under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, which is intended to identify illegally acquired properties of smugglers and foreign exchange offenders and authorize the government to seize them. The competent authority had sought the release of the aforementioned properties under the provisions of the Act.
The 1993 serial bombings, carried out on March 12 across different parts of Mumbai, claimed the lives of 257 people and injured over 700. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) later took over the probe. According to the agency, the conspiracy behind the attacks was allegedly orchestrated by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim at the behest of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI, with assistance from Tiger Memon and Mohammad Dossa.
Both Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon remain absconding. Tiger Memon’s brother, Yakub Memon, was convicted in the case and was executed in 2015.
