The special court hearing 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blast cases sentenced nine more convicts, who were accused of minor charges, including possessing explosives.
Special Judge K Uthirapthi sentenced them to undergo imprisonment ranging from three years to nine years, based on the charges such as attempt to murder, possessing explosives and promoting communal hatred.
Uthirapathi also ordered the release of seven persons after setting off their sentence, as they had already undergone imprisonment as undertrials.
The other two are undergoing life imprisonment in another case and will be in prison.
As three convicts, against whom the sentence was scheduled to be announced, were not present in the court, the judge posted the sentence for October 18.
The court has already released 76 persons, by setting off their sentence, ranging from 21 months to nine years, as they had served the term as undertrials. Eight others, including
Kerala-based PDP leader Abdul Nasser Madhani, were released as charges against them were not proved.
Uthirapathi had on Aug one last convicted 70 of the 166 accused of charges like criminal conspiracy and murder and the sentence for them would be announced on October 24.
The February 14 blasts during the visit of Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani had claimed 58 lives and left more than 250 injured.
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