Sunday, November 6 2005 13:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: In keeping with a court directive, about 75 accused in the 1993 bomb blast case would appear before a special court to mark their presence in the trial after the Diwali vacations.

The court has, however, exempted actor Sanjay Dutt, accused in the case, from appearance and allowed him to visit Tanzania and South Africa from October 14 for a month on professional assignment and also on an extended vacation.

Sanjay's lawyer Farhana Shah said the actor would appear before the court on November 16.

The designated judge of TADA (P) court P D Kode had allowed Sanjay to go abroad on condition that he would file a detailed programme of his visit and also restrained him from maintaining contact with any of the absconding accused.

Sanjay is facing the charge of allegedly possessing and destroying AK-56 rifle, which was part of the arms consignment that landed at Dighi coast in Raigad district prior to the serial blasts in 1993. However, witnesses have turned hostile by not supporting the prosecution's case.