The CBI in the 1993 serial blasts case, pending against extradited gangster Abu Salem, has moved the special TADA court seeking to examine the 684 witnesses of the original marathon trial afresh.
The original trial, famously known as the BBC trial, against 123 accused including Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt took 15 years to end.
Special TADA Judge DU Mulla is likely to pass an order on this application on Monday.
Salem is part of the entire criminal conspiracy of 1993 serial blasts case. "We therefore want to re-examine all the witnesses in the case," Special Public Prosecutor Ujwal Nikam said.
He added that as per Supreme Court directions, Section 299 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), the prosecution can rely on the depositions recorded earlier in case the deponent is dead or incapable of giving evidence or cannot be found.
The move was initiated by the CBI following the Supreme Court's order on not permitting the confession of a co-accused in case of an absconding accused.
Terming this as a delay tactic, Salem's lawyer Raja Thakur said, "When the prosecution opened the case against Salem, they said they would examine only 12 witnesses from the BBC trial. Why do they want to examine 684 witnesses.
{{/usCountry}}Terming this as a delay tactic, Salem's lawyer Raja Thakur said, "When the prosecution opened the case against Salem, they said they would examine only 12 witnesses from the BBC trial. Why do they want to examine 684 witnesses.
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