In remarks tinged with sarcasm on his “high courage for personal gains”, a TADA court on Tuesday handed down its harshest punishment so far — sentencing a former police sub-inspector to life imprisonment for allowing a truck laden with arms and ammunition to move into Mumbai city prior to the 1993 serial blasts.

Special TADA Judge P D Kode held that V K Patil did not deserve any leniency as he had abused his position as a police officer, when he was posted at Wethe Srivardhan Police Station at Raigad.

The court sentenced Patil to life imprisonment twice on charges of criminal conspiracy and aiding and abetting a terrorist act; it ordered him to pay a total fine of Rs two lakh — Rs one lakh each for the two counts he was found guilty.

The court said both the life sentences would run concurrently and Patil would have to serve rigorous imprisonment for three years on each count if he defaulted on paying the fine.

Four other constables, who were part of the raiding party, were on Monday sentenced to six years’ rigorous imprisonment.

Patil and others had intercepted the truck carrying arms and ammunition on January 9, 1993, but had allowed it to pass after accepting a bribe.

In his verdict, Judge Kode said: “the high courage on the part of the public servant (Patil) for special personal gains came to the fore when, even after intercepting the truck in an surprise raid, he let it off after settling for the bribe amount of Rs seven lakh with the other conspirators.”

The court had on Monday awarded 10 years imprisonment to Manzoor Ahmed Sayeed for accompanying gangster Abu Salem to actor Sanjay Dutt’s house to pick up arms. On Friday, the it sentenced five persons to three years’ prison term each for their role in helping smuggle explosives, arms and ammunition prior to the blasts.