1993 Mumbai blasts: Sentencing of accused expected on Friday

The pronouncement of sentences in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case is expected to start on Friday.

Special TADA judge Pramod Kode has given no hint as to how he would go about pronouncing sentences of 100 convicts, but Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said that he was expecting that the judge would start with five persons convicted under Customs Act.

"Normally the court should pronounce sentences at one go, but considering the number of convicts and the fact that court is required to deliver copies of order to the convicts on the same day, the sentencing would be in batches," Nikam told PTI.

Nikam also said that he expected the judge to start with Customs Act convicts, as there is no question of granting benefit under Probation Of Offenders Act in their case. Customs Act bars the application of POA.

Several other accused -- including actor Sanjay Dutt -- have applied for benefit of POA, and the judge has said that he would be asking for probation officer's report with regard to the case of 'some' of them. The entire sentencing might take eight to ten days, Nikam said.

Those convicted under Customs Act are: Yeshwant Bhoinkar, Abbas Dawood Shaikhdare, Shajehan Ibrahim Shaikhdhare, Rashid Alware and Sharif Khan Adhikari. 

While Shaikhdhare and Bhoinkar were convicted for providing trawlers for bringing in RDX and weapons at Shekhadi, Alware and Adhikari were convicted for participation in landing of the consignment.

CBI has asked for the maximum punishment of seven years under the Act for them.