Coimbatore blasts: SC notice to TN on appeal by life convicts

New Delhi, Feb 21 (PTI) The Supreme Court today issued anotice to Tamil Nadu government on the appeal filed by 18activists of banned Al-umma outfit challenging their lifesentence in 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts case which killed 52people and injured more than 200.

A Bench of Justices Aftab Alam and R M Lodha sought theresponse from the state government within four weeks.

The Madras High Court had on December 18, 2009, awardedlife sentence to 18 of the 40 accused but acquitted People''sDemocratic Party leader Abdul Naseer Maudany.

The court had acquitted 21 other accused who were awardedlife sentence by a special court in Coimbatore in 2007.

The trial court had also acquitted Maudany and sevenothers.

The bomb blasts had rocked the textile city ofCoimbatore.