Blast judgement likely to be delayed

Mumbai, Apr 13 (UNI) The final verdict in the March 12, 1993 serial blasts that killed 257 people, injured 713 others and damaged property to the tune of Rs 27 crore, is likely to be further delayed as it would be pronounced in May this year.

Judge P D Kode, who has conducted the trial of the serial blasts case, is currently in the process of giving final touches to the judgement. Earlier, it was expected that the final verdict would be delivered from April 19 onwards, but now it has been delayed.

Next week, a final date may be announced, a designated TADA court source said.

Kode had convicted 100 accused including members of the Memon family, the planters and actor Sanjay Dutt of the 123 accused who faced trial in the mammoth case. Kode had started the process of judgement on September 12 last year.

Next week, when the court assembles, Kode will take up two different set of applications filed by two groups of accused demanding parity with Dutt and retrial.

Dutt and three others have filed application seeking relief under Probation of Offenders Act.

Judge Kode had summoned all the accused to be present in the court on April 19. On April 16 and 17, Judge Kode, will dispose off all the pending petitions. On April 19, the accused including Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, whose time to surrender was extended till further orders, would also be present in the court.

This is one of the biggest trials of Indian judicial history.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the prosecuting agency in the serial blasts case, has demanded 'maximum punishment' for all the accused, but urged the court to show leniency to three women convicts on compassionate grounds and for two male convicts, who suffer from life-threatening ailments.

The CBI has demanded death penalty for 44 convicts who were found guilty under section 120B of IPC (criminal conspiracy) and TADA charges, life imprisonment for 42 who were convicted under TADA, and maximum punishment for nine who were convicted under other acts like Customs Act and Arms Act. For five others, three women and two who suffer from diseases, the court was urged to take a considerate view.

UNI