Madras HC fixes Aug 3 for final hearing in Coimbatore bomb b

Madras High Court fixed August 3 for final hearing on appeal petitions filed by the convicts in the Coimbatore serial bomb blasts case.

When the case came up before a specially constituted Bench comprising Ms Justices Prabha Sridevan and M Sathyanarayanan, the counsels representing the convicts submitted that the appeal petitions were pending in the court for a long time and requested the bench to take up the case for arguments.

After hearing the prosecution’s side, the Bench, while fixing August 3 for final hearing of the case, said the arguments would be conducted on a day-to-day basis from that day.

On February 14, 1999, serial bomb blasts occurred at 13 places in Coimbatore, just before the arrival of BJP leader L K Advani for addressing a campaign meeting, killing 45 people, including ten women and one child. Ten more people were killed on the next day taking the total to 59.

The Special Police team arrested People’s Democtratic Party (PDP) president Abdul Nazar Madani, Al Uma President Basha and more than 100 people and filed a chargesheet against them in the Special Court at Coimbatore in connection with the blasts.

The trial court found 70 people, including Basha guilty and sentenced them to terms ranging from three years to life. However, the court acquitted Madani.

All the convicts appealed against their conviction in the Madras High Court.