93 Blast: TADA court to pass order on June 27

Mumbai, June 26: The designated Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (prevention) Act (TADA) court, which is currently pronouncing sentence to convicts involved in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case, may deliver its verdict tomorrow on a petition filed by 16 of the 24 blast convicts, who have challenged the validity of the act.

In their petition, the convicts had cited a Supreme Court judgement, in which Justice Katju had observed that punishing the accused under the TADA Act even when it has expired, could be a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution.

The petition was strongly opposed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the grounds that the apex court ruling was only an opinion of the judge and same was not binding on the lower court to follow it.

The arguments by both sides concluded last week in the court and the court was all set to deliver its verdict yesterday. However, the presiding Judge P D Kode met with an accident after a fall in the bathroom, following which the order was deferred.

Judge Kode has so far sentenced 76 of total 100 convicts and 24 are yet to be sentenced. Among them are Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, his friends and planters of the explosives.

Judge Kode will resume his duties tomorrow.

UNI

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