Kochi: A CBI special court here, trying various
cases of National Investigation Agency, has directed police to
ensure that media personnel are not provided any opportunity
to interact with the accused when they are brought to court.
Police should also ensure that the faces of the accused
are covered while being escorted to the court and sufficient
protection is given to them, Special court judge S Vijay Kumar
said in an order yesterday.
The NIA had expressed concern that T Nazeer, prime accused
in the Bangalore blasts case, Kozhikode twin blasts case and
Kalamassery bus burning case, had been allowed by police to
interact with the media wherein he made a statement that he
had not implicated PDP leader Abdul Nasser Madani as an
accused in the Bangalore blast case.
NIA has also informed the prosecutor that necessary
application shall be moved immediately before the court
seeking to declare two accused -- Mohammed Asher and P P
Yusuf, who are now in Saudi Arabia -- as proclaimed offenders
in the Kozhikode blast case.
The court had issued arrest warrants against them, but the
two hailing from Kannur, had managed to slip out of the
country.
Only after the two are declared as proclaimed offenders can
the Indian authorities approach their Saudi Arabian
counterparts for their extradition, sources said.
PTI
