No extension of interim bail for 1993 blast convicts: SC

Oct 26: Actor Sanjay Dutt and other blast convicts are still fighting to wade through choppy seas. Supreme Court on Friday said that it would not allow the extension of the interim bail granted to the convicts in the 1993 Mumbai serial blast case.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices R V Raveendran and V S Sirpurkar, said “We are not going to grant extension of the interim bail”.

The Court made it clear when two of the convicts put forward that till the copy of the large judgement in case relating to their appeal is filed they should be allowed to continue on bail.

Further the Bench said “You (convicts) have to surrender and taken into custody as per our directions”.

The apex court allowed the convicts to file their appeal against conviction and sentence without filling the copy of the judgement of TADA court.

Earlier, Senior Advocate P S Mishra and Shree Prakash Sinha appearing for Ibrahim Musa and Sardar Shah Wali Khan submitted that the judgement contained around 5000 pages and it would become voluminous if all the guilty persons file them.

The SC made it clear that it will hear their applications for regular bail only when fresh appeals are filed by them with additional grounds.

“We are not going to extend any interim bail. You file fresh bail applications. We will take it up for hearing,” added the Bench.

Sanjay Dutt, an accused for illegal possession of weapons on Thursday moved a regular bail plea with additional grounds including the evidence on record. He moved the plea on the ground that non–supply of conviction judgement was a violation of his statutory right under the criminal procedure law.

Sanjay Dutt is facing charges for acquiring AK-47 from terrorist prior to 1993 Mumbai bomb blast. He was sentenced a 6-year jail term on July 31, 2007 but was granted interim bail on August 20 this year after spending a few weeks in Pune's Yeravada jail.

Earlier a special TADA court found him guilty under the Arms Act for possessing illegal weapon. However, the Judge P.D Kode cleared him of the charges of terrorism and conspiracy.

In the 1993 Mumbai blast case the Special TADA Court granted 12 to death, 20 to life-term and many others to varied jail terms and fines after finding a total of 100 persons guilty for the incident.

Sanjay Dutt is currently lodged in Yerwada central jail, Pune.