Process of pronouncement of sentences deferred till June 21

Mumbai, June 19 (UNI) The process of passing sentencing upon those convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case has been deferred till June 21 after 16 of the convicts questioned the application of TADA on them.

While citing a latest Supreme Court judgement, the 16 convicts have urged the TADA court to refer their cases to the Supreme Court.

Designated TADA court judge P D Kode, while deferring the process of pronouncing the sentences till June 21, has asked the prosecution to file its response on the application moved by the convicts by the same date.

Most of these 16 were convicted of planting bombs in the terror attack and also include dismissed customs official Somnath Thapa.

On May 18 this year, a one-member Supreme Court bench of Justice Markande Katju had observed that a law which considered an act as a crime on one day and not a crime on another day, violates Article 14 of the Constitution. (equality before law) UNI