Blast convicts' plea deferred till March 2

Mumbai, Feb 21 (UNI) The TADA court has deferred till March 2 the hearing into the plea by 69 people, convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, that they be awarded punishment similar to the one that would be awarded to Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt.

The court was to hear the matter today but deferred it till March 2 since Mushtaq Ahmed, counsel for the petitioners, could not be present in the court.

Designated TADA judge P D Kode deferred the hearing after one of the defence advocates, Farhana Shah, submitted that Adv Ahmed is busy in the Supreme Court and would be able to appear only in the first week of March.

The 69 convicts while moving the plea earlier, had argued that though they were convicted under TADA, the court should not award them punishment under TADA looking into the circumstances of their involvement in the case. They cited that although Sanjay Dutt has been tried under TADA, he has, however, been convicted under the Arms Act.

They further submitted that they are first time offenders and their family had suffered during the communal riots which had instigated them to participate in the blast conspiracy.

Meanwhile, the court today directed the superintendent of the Arthur Road Jail to send three of the convicts -- Khalil Ahmed, Salim Durrani and Salim Shaikh -- to the government-run J J Hospital for medical treatment.

UNI