By Shafee Ahmed Ko, TwoCircles.net,
Chennai: In a fresh case of false implication of Muslims in terror cases in the country, 8 members of the community, who were languishing in jail in the 1997 serial bomb blast case, were acquitted by a special court in Chennai on Friday as the prosecution could not prove charges against them.
The bomb blasts were executed in three trains in Tamil Nadu and Kerala 7 around the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary in 1997, killing 10 people and injuring 70 others.
All 8 Muslims under bomb blast case were acquitted by a special Bomb Blast court at Poonamalle in Chennai on Friday. The case was related to serial bomb blasts in three trains in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Additional Sessions Judge Prem Kumar said the prosecution had not proved the charges, including conspiracy to plant bombs in the trains, against them.
Kunnakudi R.M.Haneefa, who is among the acquitted persons, was arrested during his daughter’s marital function in the year 1998. Others who were arrested and now acquitted are: (1) Eruvadi Kasim (2) Ali Abdullah (3) Abdul Raheem (4) Mubarak Ali, (5) Mohammad Ali Khan (6) Samjad Ahamad and (7) Riazgur Rahman. CB-CID, which investigated the case, arrested 10 persons in all and charge-sheeted them while one of them, Ashraf absconded and, another Mohammad Sultan, died years ago.
All the arrested were languishing in Puzhal Prison in Chennai. The case ran nearly for 12 years and it was held in a special court at Poonamalle in Chennai meant for Bomb Blast cases. There were 151 witnesses examined.
When TCN contacted defence lawyer in this case Felix Xavier, he said that most of the similar cases he defended were like this: Muslims were detained and languished in jail for years but in most cases prosecutions did not prove charges and consequently, the accused were acquitted.
[Photo by www.tamilnadu-online.com]