New Delhi: A Delhi court has directed jail authorities in Ahmedabad and Navi Mumbai to ensure before it the presence of 11 suspected terrorists lodged there and accused in the 2008 Delhi serial blasts.
Additional Sessions Judge Narinder Kumar, conducting trial in the serial blasts case, issued warrant for the 11 accused lodged in Sabarmati and Taluja jails seeking their production before him so that they can be identified by the witnesses.
The court said they be produced before it on May 8 in muffled faces having regard to the point of their identity involved in the case since the court is still examining prosecution witnesses.
It passed the order as there are certain witnesses who have to be examined in the presence of all the accused.
Mohd Shakeel, Zeeshan Ahmed, Zia-ur-Rehman, Mohd Saif, Saquib Nisar and Kayamuddin Kapadia are at present lodged in Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad.
Mohd Mansoor Ashgar Peerboy, Mubin Kadar Sheikh, Mohd Akbar Ismile Chaudhary, Mohd Sadique and Asif Bashruddin are lodged in Taluja jail, Maharashtra.
They are being examined here through video conferencing.
Two other accused -- Mohd Hakim and Shahzad -- are lodged in Tihar jail.
The court had earlier on February 20, March 6 and March 13 also issued their production warrant.
However, a fax was received from Sabarmati jail saying that fresh production warrant be issued well in time so that necessary orders can be obtained from the state government to take them out of its territory.
The court noted that "there was sufficient time to comply with the directions. However, in the interest of justice, issue fresh production warrants".
Last October, an auto-rickshaw driver who was hired by one of the accused lodged in Sabarmati jail had failed to identify the terrorist through video-conferencing and had said he wanted to see them in person. The court had denied his request.
On September 13, 2008, one of the accused had travelled in his auto-rickshaw to Gaffar market in Karol Bagh area and had left a bag in his vehicle in which the explosion had taken place. Twenty-six people were killed and 135 injured in the serial blasts.
PTI
