13 more blast convicts get judgement copies

Mumbai, Oct 23 (UNI) Designated TADA Judge P D Kode today handed over the final judgement copies to 13 more persons found guilty in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, taking the total number of convicts who have received the final judgement copies to 34.

The 34 convicts include Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, ten persons who have been given death penalty and others.

Dutt received the copy of the judgement yesterday after which he surrendered before the police.

Mr Kode handed over the copies to the 13 convicts, who were brought to the court in heavy police escort from various prisons in the state, where they are lodged after receiving the respective sentences.

Each of them were given copies running into 4,360 pages and weighing 23 kg in a cadboard box, which they later handed over to their relatives, who were waiting outside to have a glimpse.

The designated court which had sentenced 100 persons had not yet handed out the final verdict to them at the time of the sentence.

Most of the convicts had secured an interim bail for themselves from the Supreme Court on the ground that they had not received the copy of the judgement. Dutt, his friend Yusuf Nulwalla and a dismissed police constable R D Mali, who were on interim bail, also surrendered before the police.

UNI