Sanjay Dutt's fate in 1993 Mumbai blast case to be decided today

The fate of Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, who is facing six-year jail term for possessing illegal arm, as well as 100 people, convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, would be determined by Supreme Court on Thursday.

A Bench of Justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan will pass its verdict on appeals filed by Dutt against his conviction and sentence under the Arms Act.

Out of the total 100 convicts in the blasts case, 12 were awarded death penalty while 20 others were sentenced to life term by a TADA court in Mumbai in 2007. Others were handed out varying jail terms.

Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon and his brother Ayub Memon, alleged to be the main conspirators of the blasts, were declared as proclaimed offenders.

A total of 257 persons were killed and 713 others injured when a series 13 coordinated explosions shattered the metropolis on March 12, 1993. Property worth Rs 28 crore was destroyed in the explosions in which RDX was used for the first time in the country.
Most of the 100 convicts had filed appeals in the Supreme Court.

The CBI, on the other hand, pleaded for enhancement of punishment for 57 convicts.The 1993 blasts case reached the apex court after pronouncement of verdict by the trial court as under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, now repealed, appeal could be filed directly in the Supreme Court.