New Delhi, Dec 05: Four of the accused facing trial in the Red Fort shootout case have approached the Delhi High Court for their release on bail. Accused Shahanshah Alam, Babar Mohsin Bhagwala, Sadaqat Ali and Farooq Ahmed Qasid requested the court to grant them bail on the ground that similarly charged four other accused have already been enlarged and that the witnesses examined so far have said nothing against them.
Justice S K Agrawal has asked the prosecution to file its reply to the bail applications within a week.
A two-member Lashkar-e-Toiba squad led by Pakistani national and main accused Ashfaq alias Arif had stormed the 17th century historic monument here and killed two Army men and a civilian three years ago.
Meanwhile, the prosecution informed the high court that 70 odd prosecution witnesses, out of about 300, have been examined since September 22 when the court had ordered setting up of a special court to try the case on a day-to-day basis.
The trial court had on January 7 last framed charges against 11 persons including Ashfaq and his alleged Indian wife Rehmana Yusuf Farooqi. All the accused had pleaded "not guilty" to the charges.
Ashfaq was charged with waging war against the Government of India (Sec 121-A), criminal conspiracy (Sec 120-B) murder (Sec 302), cheating (Sec 420), forgery (Sec 468) and using as genuine a forged document (Sec 471) under IPC. Besides, he was charged under Section 14 of Foreigners Act, Sections 4 and 5 of Explosives Act as also Arms Act. Report Bureau