Mumbai: On Friday, a special TADA court sentenced five people to three-years each in jail for their involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. The court also imposed penalty of Rs 25000 on each convict.

The court is to begin sentencing the 100 people convicted for their role in the blasts and had ordered all 100 to be present on Friday.

However, actor Sanjay Dutt, who was convicted under the Arms Act for the illegal possession of an assault rifle and a pistol but acquitted under the anti-terror law TADA, will not appear before the special TADA court on account of illness, his lawyer said.

"He is suffering from high fever and vomiting and we will be informing the court that he will be unable to appear before it on account of illness," Farhana Shah, Dutt's counsel, said.

He has applied for exemption from a prison term under the Probation of Offenders Act. The court will give its ruling on Dutt's plea during the course of sentencing.