More than three decades after serial blasts rocked Mumbai killing 257 people and injuring over 700, the trial is yet to be completed. Following is the chronology of events in the case.
March 12, 1993: A series of 13 explosions rock Mumbai resulting in 257 fatalities and injuries to 713 others. Property worth ₹27 crore destroyed in the attacks.
April 19, 1993: Actor Sanjay Dutt (accused number 117) arrested.
November 4, 1993 : Over 10,000 page-long primary charge sheet filed against 189 accused, including Mr. Dutt.
November 19, 1993: Case handed over to Central Bureau of Investigation.
April 1, 1994: Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) (TADA) court shifted from city’s sessions and civil court to a separate building inside the premises of the Arthur Road Central Jail.
April 10, 1995: 26 accused discharged by the TADA court. Charges framed against the remaining accused. Supreme Court discharges two more accused — travel agent Abu Asim Azmi (now Samajwadi Party Member of Legislative Assembly) and Amjed Meher Baux.
April 19, 1995: Trial commences.
April-June, 1995: Charges framed against the accused.
June 30, 1995: Two accused, Mohammed Jameel and Usman Jhankanan, turn approvers in the case.
October 14, 1995: Mr. Dutt granted bail by the Supreme Court.
March 23, 1996: Judge J.N Patel transferred and elevated as a High Court judge.
March 29, 1996: P.D Kode designated as a Special TADA judge for the case.
October, 2000: Examination of 684 prosecution witnesses ends.
March 9-July 18, 2001: Accused record their statements.
August 9, 2001: Prosecution begins arguments.
October 18, 2001: Prosecution completes arguments.
November 9, 2001: Defence starts arguments.
August 22, 2002: Defence closes arguments.
February 20, 2003: Dawood gang member Ejaz Pathan produced in court.
March 20, 2003: Mustafa Dossa’s remand proceedings and trial separated.
September 2003: Trial ends. Court reserves Judgement.
June 13, 2006: Gangster Abu Salem’s trial separated.
August 10, 2006: Judge P.D Kode says judgement will be pronounced on September 12.
September 12, 2006: Court starts delivering the judgement, pronounces four members of the Memon family guilty, acquits three. Twelve convicts awarded death penalty and 20 given life sentence.
February 2007 : Main trial concludes. Second leg involving seven accused begins.
November 1, 2011: SC begins hearing on appeals filed by the 100 convicts as well as the state.
August 29, 2012: SC reserves its order on the appeals.
March 16, 2013: Sanjay Dutt surrenders before court after SC upholds conviction.
March 21, 2013: SC upholds death sentence of convict Yakub Memon, brother of Tiger Memon, and commutes death sentence of 10 convicts to life term. Life imprisonment of 16 out of 18 convicts also upheld. Sanjay Dutt also convicted to 5 years of jail.
April 17, 2013 : SC gives Mr. Dutt a month to surrender
May 10, 2013: SC dismisses Mr. Dutt’s review plea
May 14, 2013: Mr. Dutt withdrew the mercy plea
May 16, 2013: Mr. Dutt surrenders to Mumbai police.
August 13, 2013: TADA court drops certain charges against Salem which violated the extradition treaty with Portugal.
January 2014: Mr. Dutt granted first parole extension of 30 days.
December 2014: Mr. Dutt given fulough
January 2015: Mr. Dutt returns to jail after his furlough extension was rejected by police.
July 30, 2015: Key conspirator and lone death row convict in the case, Yakub Memon hanged.
December 7, 2015: Final arguments of the second phase of the trial start.
February 25, 2016: Mr. Dutt released from Yerwada jail
June 8, 2016: Court rejects plea of accused Firoz Abdul Rashid in which he said he wants to become an approver.
March 2017: Trial concludes.
June 12, 2017: Bombay High Court directs the State to file an affidavit on what ground Mr. Dutt was let out eight months before time.
June 16, 2017: The special TADA court convicts Abu Salem, Mustafa Majnu, Firoz Rashid Khan, Taher Merchant, Karimullah Shaikh and Riyaz Siddiqui under sections of the TADA, the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Arms Act and the Explosives Act for perpetrating the blasts. It, however, acquitted Abdul Qayum Karim Shaikh of all charges.
June 28, 2017: Mustafa Dossa, who was lodged at Arthur Road jail in Mumbai dies of cardiac arrest at JJ Hospital.
July 8, 2017: Kadir Ahmed, an accused, arrested in his native district Bijnore. He is alleged to have played a role in the landing of weapons and explosives in Jamnagar, Gujarat supplied by Tiger Memon for the blasts.
September 7, 2017: The special TADA court sentences Karimullah Shaikh and Abu Salem for life imprisonment, Riyaz Ahmed Siddiqui to 10 years in prison. Tahir Merchant and Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan get death.
