Sanjay Dutt to appear before Tada court on July 16

Mumbai, July 15: Cine actor and 1993 serial blasts convict Sanjay Dutt and six others will appear before the designated TADA court on July 16 during their regular date of appearance.

The court is likely to announce the quantum of sentence to one of the convicts, who is out on bail at present.

Dutt and his three other associates--Rubeena Memon, sister-in-law of prime absconding accused Tiger Memon, dismissed custom collector Somnath Thapa, and a prime convict Imtiyaz Ghawte--were granted bail on various grounds.

The court will also hear the CBI arguments on a plea moved by 16 blast convicts, urging the court to grant a stay on the pronouncement of the sentence, to enable them to challenge the TADA court order in the Supreme Court.

Earlier, the 16 blast convicts had moved the TADA court, challenging the powers of the court, citing the May 18 order of SC judge Makande Katju, who ruled that punishing a TADA accused under the act after the expiry of the act was a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution.

The plea was turned down by the designated TADA court on the ground that it had aleady convicted 100 blast accused. The Supreme Court order came much after court convicted them.

It may be mentioned that court has so far handed down sentences to 76 convicts and it is yet to pronounce sentence to remaining 24 convicts which include Dutt, members of the Memon family , Somnath Thapa and others who masterminded the plot and planted bombs at various places.

UNI

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