Mumbai, June 05: Prime accused in Ghatkopar bomb blast case Dr Abdul Mateen Basit today requested for bail in a special court challenging his arrest under Prevention Of Terrorist Act (Pota) and claiming that he was innocent and not involved in the alleged crime. The bail petition, filed by his lawyer Majeed Memon, would come up for hearing before designated judge A P Bhangale on June 9.

Basit said that at the time of the blast in suburban Ghatkopar on December 2 last year, he was engaged in professional duties at Aurangabad. Therefore his involvement was farfetched and unimaginable.
He said that police evidence against him was unreliable and fraught with inconsistencies. The witnesses were pliable and obsequious. Their statements fail to bring out the case of conspiracy and harbouring of terrorists, Basit contended.

The accused said that he had not given confessional statements or disclosed any information about having knowledge of the offence. Besides, the statements of co-accused were not incriminating.

Basit said that he was being made a scapegoat because he had exposed the brutal torture of co-accused Khwaja Yunus in police custody by tendering evidence against the cops during judicial probe in the court.
The accused also drew the court's attention towards an alleged threat meted out to him by a cop asking him not to speak in the court on Khwaja Yunus's alleged disappearance from police custody or else he may have to face consequences.

Bureau Report