Designated TADA court judge P D Kode, who created a record by holding the trial in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case for 14 years, was on Tuesday transferred to the city civil and sessions court as principal sessions judge.
Kode, who took charge of the TADA court on March 29, 1996, had conducted one of the lengthiest trials in the history of Indian judiciary and convicted 100 accused, sentencing them to punishments ranging from three years imprisonment to death penalty.
He never took a single leave during court proceedings; even when his father passed away. That day, he had attended the funeral after the court proceeding.
Known for his hard work, Judge Kode conducted trial on a daily basis. He conducted trials even when the court was on vacation. He recorded the voluminous evidence in the case, running into more than 45,000 pages, and heard depositions by 686 witnesses.
Having started his career as a defence advocate, he was public prosecutor in the Thane civil and sessions court.
He received the transfer-cum-promotion order this evening.
Earlier in the day, he began the separate trials of extradited gangster Abu Salem and others. He also issued summons to two witnesses directing them to appear before the court on Wednesday.
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