MUMBAI, 12 October 2007 — Copies of the judgment against the 100 accused in the March 12, 1993, serial blasts will be handed out from next week. All the accused will have to surrender once they get the copies of the verdict.

The accused can later approach the Supreme Court of India for regular bail after surrendering.

The special Terrorists and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) court that passed convictions against the 100 accused, including film star Sanjay Dutt, and will start handing out copies of the judgment from next week — marking the end of world’s biggest trial and judgment.

“All the 100 convicts including actor Dutt have been asked to appear on Oct. 18, 19, 20,” sources from the designated TADA court said.

The TADA Judge P.D. Kode had commenced delivering the verdicts from Sept. 12 last year.

After the sentences were passed, several of the accused approached the Supreme Court for relief and 15 of them secured interim bail. However, they all have to surrender to the authorities once the copies of the verdict are handed to them.

The court ordered capital punishment to 12 accused, including prime accused Yaqub alias Tiger Memon who is absconding.

The judge awarded life sentences to 20 accused, 14-year sentences to three, a 13-year jail term to one, 10-year sentences to 12, nine-year jail term to four, eight-year terms to four, seven-year terms to seven, six-year terms to 15, three-year sentences to five, and a two-year jail term to one convict.

Dutt’s friend Russi Mulla was the only accused set free by the court giving him relief under the Probation of Offenders Act.

Yerawada Central Prison officials in Pune said that they were fully prepared to receive the blasts accused that were granted temporary bail by the apex court, once they surrendered to the TADA court after receiving their judgment copies.

Meanwhile, in another development, the Shiv Sena today demanded a ban on the entry and public meetings of state Samajwadi Party president and Member of Parliament Abu Azim Azmi in the sensitive town of Bhiwandi.

Azmi was to address a rally in Bhiwandi in the next few days.