The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on the appeals filed by the Maharashtra government against acquittals and seeking enhancement of punishment to the accused in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts cases.
A Bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and B.S. Chauhan, while issuing the notice on 48 appeals after hearing Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam, posted the matter for final hearing to January 11, 2011.
When asked by Justice Sathasivam as to why there was delay of 880 days in preferring the appeals, Mr. Subramaniam said the judgment, running to nearly 4,300 pages, had to be minutely examined by the prosecution before filing the appeal in each case.
According to the prosecution, over 250 people lost their lives and 713 sustained injuries in 13 blasts in Mumbai on March 12, 1993. The special TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities [Prevention] Act) court had convicted 100 people, including eight death sentences and 20 life imprisonments. A total of 51 appeals were filed by the accused, including actor Sanjay Dutt, who was sentenced to undergo six years imprisonment, while the State filed 48 appeals.
