There is no doubt the case was very complicated and involved too much to go through for justice Kode. But it was not the fault of more than 100 accused who had to go through 14 years of severe mental torture. They all must have gone under deep depression with the Damocles Sword hanging over their heads. Was it not %u201Cextra%u201D punishment than what they rightly received from the TADA Court according to law? This case has become a wake-up call for the judicial system to ponder if some time, say one month, per year should be remitted from the sentence if the accused suffers agony like this for an unusual period. For illustration, Sanjay Dutt and other accused could have been given concession of 14 months for 14 years of waiting for the late delivery of the judgment for none of their faults. Another example, Sanjay Dutt could have started life afresh had he been awarded the sentence at the age of 35 years or so. He could not marry because of the uncertainty of his fate. But now he (48 years) will come out of the jail at the age of 54. These are the compassionate and humanitarian grounds that cannot be neglected just because they were involved in %u201993 blasts. Justice has its softer side also.
