By IANS
Mumbai : A special court Tuesday framed charges against 13 accused in the July 11 serial train bombings that killed 187 people, but the trial had to be stalled after the accused started shouting that they did not trust the judge.
Special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) Court Judge Mridula Bhatkar framed charges under different acts including the stringent MCOCA, the Indian Penal Code, Prevention of Unlawful Activity, Railway Act, Explosive Act and Prevention of Damage to Property Act, despite the refusal of the accused to sign the charge papers.
The accused started shouting in the courtroom that they didn’t trust the judge.
Asif Khan alias Junaid, one of the 13 arrested, interrupted as judge Bhatkar began reading out the charges. “I have no faith in this court. I am not guilty,” Khan said in Hindi.
Co-accused Sajid Ansari and and Faisal Sheikh joined in, screaming: “You don’t listen to us. You listen only to the ATS (anti-terrorist squad).”
Judge Bhatkar said: “When the accused do not have faith in the judiciary, I can not do anything. And hence the charges have been framed against the accused.”
She gave 15 days’ time to the accused to discuss the matter with their lawyers.
The court then adjourned the matter till Aug 21.
She also forwarded the application of the accused seeking transfer of their case to another court as they did not have faith in the court, to Principal Judge Ashok Bhangale.
Seven blasts took place in the span of 11 minutes on local trains of Western Railway, killing 187 people and injuring more than 800, on July 11 last year.
The accused are Kamal Ansari, Dr Tanvir Ansari, Faisal Sheikh, Ehtesjham Siddique, Mohammed Majid Shafi, Mohammed Ali Aslam Sheikh, Mohammed Sajid, Abdul Wahiduddin, Muzammil Sheikh, Sohail Sheikh, Zameer Sheikh, Naveed Hussain and Asif Khan Basir Khan.
The accused include some alleged leaders and members of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), a computer engineer and a unani medical practitioner.
Besides those arrested, the ATS had in its charge sheet also named 15 other suspects, including 10 Pakistan nationals and the Pakistan-based LeT chief Azam Cheema.
Of the seven suspected bombers, including Pakistan nationals, only four are on trial. One of the suspected Pakistani bombers, identified as “Salem”, was the lone unclaimed bombing victim who was killed after the bomb went off at Bandra station.
Cheema along with three other Pakistani nationals are still at large and believed to have sneaked back to Pakistan after the bombings.
Naved Hussain Khan, whose alleged confession before a video camera had earlier been aired by news channels, said he wanted to be an approver but would like to know what had become of the probe ordered into the CD leak.
The charge-sheet runs into more than 10,000 pages.