HYDERABAD: A city court hearing the case of the twin blasts at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat in August 2007 postponed the case to September 4. The court was expected to announce the verdict on Monday but now it is likely to come next Tuesday at the Cherlapally Central Prison. The IInd Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge T. Srinivas Rao, who is to deliver the verdict in the case, stated in the court hall that the “judgment is not ready as it is a voluminous case. For judgment call on September 4”.
Defence counsel is Shaik Saifullah Khalid for the five accused in the case. On Monday all the five accused Akbar Ismail Choudhary, Aneeq Shafeeq Sayeed, Farookh Sharfuddin Tarkash, and Sadiq Israr Ahmed Sheikh were produced before the court via video conferencing from Cherlapally Prison where they are lodged. The proceedings were held in a closed court hall with the general public and the media was not allowed inside.
The defense counsel for the accused — G. Gurumurthy, Raji Reddy, M.A. Azeem and Shaik Saifullah Khalid — were present in the court hall and so were the public prosecutors and officials of the counter intelligence and Octopus. Three cases — two pertaining to two blasts at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat— and one unexploded bomb found at Venkatadri theatre in Dilsukhnagar were registered against Akbar Ismail Choudhary, Aneeq Shafeeq Sayeed, Farookh Sharfuddin Tarkash, Sadiq Israr Ahmed Shaik and Mohammed Tareeq Anjum Ahsan. Anjum is charged with harbouring Iqbal Bhaktal and Riyaz Bhaktal who are involved in the case and are absconding. A total of seven persons are accused in the case. Nearly 170 witnesses were examined and cross-examined during the trial.
The accused were charged under Section 302 (murder) and other relevant provisions of the IPC and sections of Explosive Substances Act in connection with the twin blasts and also with regard to recovery of an unexploded bomb that was found under a foot overbridge in Dilsuknagar area.
It may be recalled that 42 persons were killed and 72 persons injured in the blast at Gokul Chat and Lumbini Park on August 25, 2007, evening. The bomb blasts were reportedly executed to avenge the Mecca Masjid blast and subsequent police firing. Octopus — the counter terrorism unit of the erstwhile united AP police — had registered and investigated a part of the case soon after the blast and later the counter intelligence wing of the state police took the probe ahead. All the accused were caught by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and later handed over to the Gujarat police. The state police later took them into custody and on interrogation they admitted to their involvement in the twin blasts reported
