Wednesday, August 24 2005 19:54 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court today (Aug 24, 2005) stayed till September 5 the trial in the serial bomb blasts that occurred at Mulund, Vile Parle and Mumbai Central in Mumbai. between December 2002 and March 2003.

The High Court order comes a day before the charges were to be framed against 16 in these cases.

Justice S S Parkar and Justice A V Modha stayed the trial after accused Addan Mullah moved an application in the High Court challenging the prosecution's move to club the three cases for trial.

"The bench will decide on the application challenging the clubbing of the three different cases in the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court for trial on September 5 and till then the trial is stayed," said Mullah's advocate Mubin Solkar.

Mullah in his application had contended that he was accused only in Mulund blast and was unnecessarily being dragged into other two cases by clubbing all the cases.

They are separate cases and their trial should be conducted separately, he said.

Under the law if all the three incidents formed part of one conspiracy then it would have been possible to club the cases, Solkar said adding, but even that was not the case Here.

Mullah had moved the High Court after his application was rejected on July 16 by the special court conducting the trial.

Solkar said framing of charges against the accused was to begin in the POTA court from tomorrow (Aug 25, 2005).