Friday, September 15 2006 11:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Essa Memon and Rubina Memon, held guilty by a TADA court for the 1993 bomb blasts here, yesterday (Sept 14,2006) sought leniency in punishment saying they were not involved in the conspiracy, while Yakub Memon told the judge that he had been framed because he was the brother of absconding prime accused Tiger Memon.

Essa is the younger brother of Tiger while Rubina is his sister-in-law. All three accused gave their statements in the court under section 235 (2) of CrPC on the quantum of sentence to be awarded to them.

Essa said he had brain tumour while pleading for lenient punishment. Rubina said she had two children, one studying in Class seven and another in HSC, and urged the court to show a lenient attitude while sentencing her.

Rubina denied her involvement in the conspiracy behind the blasts, saying she had gone to Dubai in March 1993, prior to the attacks that killed 257 people, to be with her NRI husband. She said she was unaware that a flat in her name was used for storing RDX and that a car used in the blasts was also registered in her name.

She said the car was purchased in 1986 by her father-in- law before her marriage and she was not aware when it was transferred in her name.

Yakub said he had been dragged into the case only because he was the brother of Tiger Memon. He denied having connived with Tiger to execute the explosions in Mumbai on March 12, 1993.

He questioned why the persons indicted by the Srikrishna Commission of Inquiry into the communal riots of 1992-93 had not been booked and alleged that innocent persons had been booked in the 1993 bomb blasts case.