The designated Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act court on Wednesday announced that it would start pronouncing verdict beginning Thursday on 31 accused charged with transporting and planting bombs to effect the 1993 serial blasts.

These include Mohammed Shoaib Ghansar, accused of planting a bomb in Zaveri Bazaar. All these accused are presently lodged in jail. 

TADA Judge P D Kode agreed to a plea made by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, who said that these accused were still in jail and therefore the verdict on them be delivered at the earliest from Thursday onwards.

Nikam urged the court that the arguments on the quantum of punishment to the convicted members of Memon family may be held after the verdict on those who allegedly planted the bombs at different places in Mumbai was announced.

The court accepted the plea and adjourned hearing on the arguments on the quantum of punishments to the convicted Memon family members till Thursday.

Meanwhile, Essa and Yusuf, both brothers of main accused Tiger Memon who along with their third brother Yakub and sister-in-law Rubina were convicted in the case on Tuesday, applied for bail on medical grounds on Wednesday.

Essa pleaded in the court that he had put on a lot of weight and doctors had advised him to do physical exercise to reduce weight.

He said he had also been advised to undergo treatment for a brain tumour. On the other hand, Yusuf claimed that he was undergoing treatment for a psychological problem.

In a related development, while turning down an application moved by Gujarat police seeking custody of extradited gangster and blasts accused Abu Salem [Images] in a case pending before a court in Gujarat, Justice Kode said, "Salem is required by various courts in Mumbai, including the TADA court. Therefore at this juncture, custody will not be handed over to the Gujarat police."

He said the custody would be given as per judicial directive only when his custody was not required by the Mumbai court.

A Gujarat police officer, who was present in the court, on Wednesday produced the copy of the production warrant, issued by additional district judge from Gujarat, directing the TADA judge to hand over the custody of Salem to Gujarat police to enable them to produce him before them in a criminal case pending before him.

However, Kode turned down the application.

With UNI inputs