Dutt gets reprieve, 11 other convicts return to prison

Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) As Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt got a month's reprieve, 11 others convicted in the 1993 Mumbai blasts and released on bail surrendered Wednesday before a Mumbai court after the Supreme Court rejected their appeals, an official said.

Mumbai TADA Special Judge G.A. Sanap directed the 11 to be shifted to the Arthur Road Central Jail, from where they will be transferred to other jails in the state later.

Among those who surrendered Wednesday were Sadashiv Talwadekar, a customs official who was sentenced to eight years in jail and has already spent six years.

He was charged with taking bribes to permit the landing of an arms consignment at Shekhadi beach, Raigad district, allegedly sent by the absconding prime accused, Tiger Memon, from Pakistan, a few weeks before the March 12, 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai.

The convicts include four policemen -- R.D. Mali, P.M. Mahadik, A. Maneshwar and S.Y. Pashilkar -- who have been sentenced to six years in jail and underwent around four years in prison before being granted bail.

The other convicts who gave themselves up include Khalid Ahmed S.A. Nazir, Sajjad Alam, Abdullah I. Surti, Faki Ali Ahmed, Syed Ismail I. Kadri and Janardhan P. Gambas, who have been awarded jail terms ranging from five to seven years for aiding and abetting the pre-blast preparations.

The other convicts, including the high-profile Zaibunissa Kazi, whose plea for more time to surrender was dismissed by the apex court, were likely to surrender Thursday.