SC notices CBI, Mah Govt in '93 blasts case

New Delhi, Aug 24: The Supreme Court today issued notices to CBI and the State of Maharashtra on the bail applications of two more convicts in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices Tarun Chatterjee and R V Raveendran issued notices on the application of Shah Wali Khan, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment and Altaf Ali Syed, who has been given ten years sentence by TADA Court, Mumbai.

The two petitioners are also seeking their release on interim bail on the grounds that the copy of the judgement of the trial court has not been supplied to them and hence they should also be released on bail like filmstar Sanjay Dutt and others, atleast till the copy of the judgement of the trial court is made available to them.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium accepted the notice and the apex court fixed September five for hearing of petitions filed by the two petitioners.

Mr Subramanium, however, told the court that Shah Wali Khan has been sentenced to life imprisonment as he was involved in the criminal conspiracy in which over 250 innocent lives were lost and over thousands were injured in the serial bomb blasts, which occurred at ten places on March 12, 1993.

He said that such persons cannot be treated at par with other convicts who were given sentences between 5-10 yrs.

The conspiracy was hatched to settle scores for 1992 communal riots in Mumbai, which took place in the aftermath of demolition of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya.

Sanjay Dutt and four others were restored back to their preconviction stage by the apex court, meaning thereby that those who were on bail during trial will be released and those who were in jail during trial will remain in jail.

The two petitioners are also claiming that they were on bail during trial.

UNI