The Hindu : National : Sanjay Dutt exempted from appearing in TADA court

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 17, 2006

National

National

Sanjay Dutt exempted from appearing in TADA court

Mumbai: A TADA court exempted 86 accused in the 1993 bomb blast case, including film actor Sanjay Dutt, from personal appearance on Thursday and directed them to appear on March 1.

The exemption for Thursday , sought by Sanjay and 85 other accused, was granted by designated Judge P.D. Kode on a plea by Farhana Shah.

Dutt is facing a charge of possessing an AK-56 rifle and later destroying it with the help of his friends. The actor has denied the allegation, witnesses have also not supported the prosecution. The prosecution case is that some of the accused, including extradited gangster Abu Salem, had gone to Dutt's residence and gave him an AK-56 rifle. Salem has given a confession to the CBI and also confirmed it before a magistrate, but its contents are unknown as the court has kept it in a sealed cover.

The court is busy preparing the verdict and summons the accused from time to time.

About 13,000 pages of evidence has been recorded and more than 600 witnesses have deposed before the court.

Altogether 257 people were killed when a series of bomb blasts tore through 13 places in the city, damaging property worth Rs. 27 crore on March 12, 1993. — PTI

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