The Special TADA Court on Monday rejected a joint application by 16 convicts in the 1993 serial bombings case, to stay sentencing and paved way for resumption of the process to award punishments to 34 convicts from Tuesday.

Among the convicts who are waiting for pronouncement of sentences are the prime conspirators the Memon brothers, the actual bombers and Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who was present in the court.

76 convicts
The court has already sentenced 76 convicts to jail terms ranging from a few years to two life terms, but has not awarded  death penalty to any one as yet.

On Tuesday, the court is expected to pronounce sentences on one of the bombers, Imtiaz Ghawate and a former Customs superintendent Somnath Thapa, who has been held guilty for facilitating the passage of RDX and arms from the Raigad coast to Mumbai before the March 12, 1993 bombings.

Conspiracy
Both have been held guilty for conspiracy, but the CBI has not sought death penalty for the two, as Thapa is suffering from blood cancer while Ghawate has been diagnosed as HIV positive.

The sentencing had been stalled for almost a month following the plea by 16 convicts who wanted the TADA Court to make a reference to the SC over the constitutional validity of the TADA Act.

The Designated Judge turned down the first plea of making a reference to the SC by stating that the TADA Court could not  make such a reference.