TADA court defers '93 Mumbai blasts verdict

The designated TADA court today postponed the verdict in the 1993 Bombay blasts case till September 12.

The designated judge postponed the verdict due to Abu Salem's pending application challenging the court's order that he be tried separately.

The application is pending before the Bombay High Court. Salem is one of the accused in the 1993 serial blasts case.

As soon as court proceedings began today, Salem's lawyer Farhana Shah objected to the pronouncement of the judgment as Salem's application challenging the TADA court's earlier order separating his trial from other accused in the case was still pending before the Bombay High Court.

However, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam countered the argument, pointing out that since the high court had not granted a stay in the matter, the court was free to proceed with the delivery of judgment.

Judge PD Kode, however, said he would pronounce the final verdict in the case on September 12. Kode was expected to start delivering the verdict today, 13 years after the blasts rocked the city, killing 257 persons and injuring 713.

Ninety-four of the accused are on bail, including actor Sanjay Dutt, while 29 others are in judicial custody. The court may take more than a fortnight to deliver the entire verdict, considering that 686 witnesses gave testimony in the case, recorded in over 13,000 pages, a record of sorts in India's legal history.

The security in and around the court has been tightened since Wednesday and the police have imposed Section 144 CrPC in and around the court premises, banning the assembly of five or more persons.

The CBI had chargsheeted 198 accused in the 1993 serial bomb blast case. Of these, 29 were discharged due to lack of evidence and 29 others have eluded the long arm of the law.