New Delhi:
The Supreme Court has begun delivering its verdict in the 1993 Bombay serial blasts case. It has upheld the death sentence for Yakub Memon and commuted the death sentence of 10 others to life. It will also decide if actor Sanjay Dutt, who was convicted in an arms case, will go to jail or be freed.
Here are the latest developments:
The Supreme Court today said that the "management and conspiracy of the blasts was done by Dawood Ibrahim.'' It also said that Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI was involved in the blasts.
Sanjay Dutt, son of late actor and Congress politician Sunil Dutt, was sentenced to six years in jail by a TADA court in July 2007. He was found guilty of illegally keeping arms, including an AK-56 rifle.
The actor was however acquitted of graver charges under TADA or the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act. The CBI has not challenged his acquittal.
Sanjay Dutt challenged his conviction in the Supreme Court. He has spent 18 months in prison and is out on bail.
Twelve coordinated blasts within two hours on March 12, 1993 ravaged Mumbai, India's financial capital, killing 257 people and injuring more than 700. Among the targets were the Bombay Stock Exchange, Air India Building at Nariman Point and hotels Sea Rock and Juhu Centaur.
Property worth crores was destroyed in the explosions in which the deadly RDX explosive was used for the first time in the country.
The serial blasts were alleged to be a revenge attack for the demolition of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya in December 1992.
Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon and his brother Ayub Memon are alleged to be the conspirators and have been declared proclaimed offenders.
A TADA court convicted 100 people; 11 of them were sentenced to death, another 20 given life terms.
The rest were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 3 to 10 years and fines up to Rs 1 lakh. Most of them have appealed against their conviction in the top court.
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