New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday kept its order pending over NIA Hyderabad`s application seeking a three-day transit remand of Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives Tehsin Akhtar and Zia-ur-Rehman alias Waqas in connection with the Dilsukhnagar blast in February last year.
Mumabi ATS too moved the court seeking custody of the two but NIA Special Judge IS Mehta kept its application pending even as the sessions court sent them to judicial custody till May 19 on a plea by Delhi Police Special Cell.
"The application of NIA Hyderabad seeking transit remand of above accused persons is kept pending till further orders.
"At this stage two applications have been moved by...ATS, Mumbai seeking custody of both the accused persons. Same is kept pending till further orders," the NIA Special Judge said.
Tehsin and Waqas, along with other alleged IM operatives, Mohd Maroof, Wakar Azhar and Mohd Saqib Ansari, were arrested by the Special Cell in March.
The NIA Hyderabad moved the plea before special court for three days` transit remand of Tehsin and Waqas after it was allowed by Additional Sessions Judge Daya Prakash to formally arrest the duo and interrogate them in connection with February 2013 Dilsukhnagar blasts in Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, the sessions judge directed NIA to produce the two before its designated court for further proceedings.
Another suspected IM operative Imteyaz Alam, who was also accused in the Patna blasts in October last year, has been remanded in 14 days of judicial custody in connection with a case of allegedly setting up an illegal arms factory here.
Alam, who was allegedly instrumental in triggering the October 27, 2013 Patna blasts at Gandhi Maidan where BJP`s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was scheduled to address an election rally, was produced before the court after expiry of his custody with Delhi police special cell.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested Alam, who was allegedly associated with Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), after he was brought before the court from a Patna jail.
While opposing NIA Hyderabad plea for transit remand of Tehsin and Waqas, their counsel M S Khan said "there is no evidence against the accused persons and the investigating officer has arrested them with ulterior motive having no evidence".
Khan also said, "the possibility cannot be ruled out to record the confessional statements of accused persons after putting pressure on them".
The formal application for transit remand was moved by the agency before NIA special court after Delhi Police Special Cell produced them on expiry of their 20 days remand given on April 15 to unearth the conspiracy of IM and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) to carry out terror strikes in the national capital.
The Special Cell, meanwhile, sought 14 days judicial custody of Tehsin and Waqas, which was allowed by the court.
"Application is allowed. Accused (Tehsin and Waqas) be sent to JC till May 19," the court said.
Maroof, Azhar and Ansari arrested in connection with an illegal arms factory case here in which a supplementary charge sheet was recently filed against arrested IM co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and his aide Asadullah Akhtar were taken to Jaipur by Rajasthan ATS for interrogation in a case lodged there.
Tehsin was arrested on March 25 near Indo-Nepal border in Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
Pakistan national Waqas was arrested outside Ajmer Railway Station on March 22 and his three associates -- Mahruf, Azhar, both residents of Jaipur, and Ansari, a resident of Jodhpur, were arrested on March 23 and thereafter brought to Delhi.
