By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: Two convicts in the 7/11 train blasts case have written to the Bombay High Court requesting to be shifted back to Arthur Road jail in order to facilitate them to complete their law degree that they are pursuing following orders of trial court.
Claiming it to be their fundamental right, Ehtesham Siddiqui, who is on death row, and Sajid Ansari, serving life imprisonment, have told the court that they enrolled for a three-year LLB course at the Siddharth College of Law in 2014 and they cannot appear for third semester examinations if lodged outside Mumbai prison.
On September 11, the special MCOC court held 12 of the 13 men guilty for the 2006 serial train blasts that killed 189 people and left 829 injured, five of them have been sentenced to death. Following their sentencing on September 30, all convicts were transferred to various jails outside Mumbai. Siddique has been transferred to Nagpur whereas Ansari is in Kolhapur central prison.
In their petition, the duo told court that their examination is due between November 18 – 27 and they have to be lodged in Mumbai Central Prison else they would miss their exams. They also claim that jail authority was informed about the issue but it is not responding to their request due to which they are compelled to approach High Court for relief.
The duo has made Director General (Prison), Additional Director General of police (Pune) and State of Maharashtra as the respondent in the petition.
Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, a Muslim NGO that provides legal aides to Muslim accused after their preliminary scrutiny has decided to appoint lawyer to represent duo’s petition in this matter.
Speaking with TwoCircles.net Gulzar Azmi, Secretary of Legal cell, Jamiat Ulalama-e-Hind said, “It is the right of every accused or convict to pursue education while in jail and therefore we have decided to provide legal help in getting relief to these youths so that they can complete their law graduation”.
Talking about the appeal against conviction that is not yet filed before Bombay High Court Azmi said, “As the judgment is very big we are requiring more time to properly draft the appeal. We are very sure about the innocence of all the youths; there were many contradictions in the evidences that were looked over by the court. We will soon file the appeal”.
Meanwhile, Ansari’s brother Khalid Ansari has alleged harassment at the hands of Kolhapur jail authority when he had gone to meet his brother. He has written a complaint to Director General of Police (Prisons) detailing the whole incidence and also alleged that his brother is being tortured by jail officials.
He also alleged that his brother is not provided with case papers and therefore he is not able to prepare defence points required for the appeal against conviction before Bombay high Court.