Want proof of innocence, pay up Rs 25,000

This is one court order which despite bringing cheers to the 23 persons, acquitted by the TADA court of their involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case, is going to cost them heavily if they want to get a full copy of the court's judgment.

As the court starts providing a certified copy of the 6,000-odd page judgment to the 100 convicts and 23 acquitted persons from September 14, the voluminous court order would not be given free to the acquitted persons as per the law.

Considering that each page of the certified copy costs Rs 4, an acquitted person, wanting to keep the copy of the full court order, will have to shell out a sum of Rs 25,000 from his pocket to display his innocence to the world.

Interestingly, for the convicts, who will also be provided with one such copy for enabling them to appeal against the TADA court's judgment in the Supreme Court, the service will be free as the state will bear the cost.

''However, there is an option too. If some acquitted person asks the court for only the operative part of the judgment, which runs to three pages, to be provided to him/her, then he can obtain it at a paltry fee of Rs 12 only,"  said defence counsel Subhash Kanse.