KOZHIKODU TWIN BLASTS CASE
(Kozhikode twin blasts case: Nazir, Shafaz found guilty)
An NIA court,Kochi, Thursday,10th, August,2011, convicted the first accused Thadiyantavida Nazir and fourth accused Shafaz in the Kozhikode twin blast case.The verdict will be delivered Friday. Third accused Halim and ninth accused Yusuf were set free by the court.The incident occured at 12.45 and 1.05 noons on March 3rd, 2006 at the KSRTC and mofusil bus stands. Two squads of the state police and Crime Branch probed the case initially. The NIA, which investigated the case, arrived at conclusions similar to that of the Crime Branch. The case also assumes importance as the first terror-related case investigated by the NIA in the state.
The NIA court hearing the Kozhikode twin blasts case Friday awarded three life terms for suspected LeT militant T Nazeer. Shafaz, another accused was awarded two life terms.The blasts took placeon March 3, 2006.The terms can be served simultaneusly. The prosecution had sought maximum punishment for the accused. Nazeer had urged the court to reduce the sentence considering the fact that he had a wife and three children to support.
The NIA Special court hearing cases being probed by the National Investigation Agency, had Thursday found the duo guilty of offences in the case. The court had however, acquitted two other accused. While Abdul Halim got the benefit of doubt, there was no evidence against C Yusuf, judge S Vijay Kumar said. The court Thursday said that there was sufficient material against Nazeer, an accused in 2008 Bangalore blasts case, and Shafaz and found them guilty in the Kozhikode blasts in which two policemen and a porter were injured. NIA had filed the charge sheet in August 2010 against eight men, listing Nazeer as prime accused.
The accused had been chargsheeted under various Sections of IPC, including Sect 120B (criminal conspiracy), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), relevant sections of Unlawful Assembly Prevention Act, 1967, and Explosive Substance Act. Nazeer is also named as an accused in the burning of a Tamil Nadu state bus in 2005 at nearby Kalamassery by suspected PDP activists to protest against PDP leader Abdul Nasser Madani's detention in connection with the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blasts which claimed 58 lives and left over 200 injured.While one of the accused Fayaz was killed in an encounter with security forces in Kashmir, another accused Shammi Firoz was made an approver. Two others who are at large abroad have been declared as wanted. About 58 prosecution witnesses were examined.
There was strong police presence in the court premises when the judgement was pronounced with media personnel allowed inside the court room only with photo identity cards. Meanwhile, the Kerala High court had Thursday dismissed a petition by Nazeer and other accused for a stay on the pronouncement of the judgement by the NIA court. Dismissing the petition, a division bench comprising Justice V. Ram Kumar and P Q Barkat Ali said "we are not inclined to accept the submission made on behalf of the petitioners that the arguments with regard to the subject matter had been referred by the special court. Such submission was denied by NIA counsel”.
The bench held the judgement in the case after trial was the 'logical conclusion' and vacated the earlier stay imposed on pronouncement. The accused have also filed a petition in the High Court, challenging the NIA decision to make Shammi Firoz an approver. A single judge had yesterday referred the petition to a division bench.
The NIA Special court hearing cases being probed by the National Investigation Agency, had Thursday found the duo guilty of offences in the case. The court had however, acquitted two other accused. While Abdul Halim got the benefit of doubt, there was no evidence against C Yusuf, judge S Vijay Kumar said. The court Thursday said that there was sufficient material against Nazeer, an accused in 2008 Bangalore blasts case, and Shafaz and found them guilty in the Kozhikode blasts in which two policemen and a porter were injured. NIA had filed the charge sheet in August 2010 against eight men, listing Nazeer as prime accused.
The accused had been chargsheeted under various Sections of IPC, including Sect 120B (criminal conspiracy), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), relevant sections of Unlawful Assembly Prevention Act, 1967, and Explosive Substance Act. Nazeer is also named as an accused in the burning of a Tamil Nadu state bus in 2005 at nearby Kalamassery by suspected PDP activists to protest against PDP leader Abdul Nasser Madani's detention in connection with the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blasts which claimed 58 lives and left over 200 injured.While one of the accused Fayaz was killed in an encounter with security forces in Kashmir, another accused Shammi Firoz was made an approver. Two others who are at large abroad have been declared as wanted. About 58 prosecution witnesses were examined.
There was strong police presence in the court premises when the judgement was pronounced with media personnel allowed inside the court room only with photo identity cards. Meanwhile, the Kerala High court had Thursday dismissed a petition by Nazeer and other accused for a stay on the pronouncement of the judgement by the NIA court. Dismissing the petition, a division bench comprising Justice V. Ram Kumar and P Q Barkat Ali said "we are not inclined to accept the submission made on behalf of the petitioners that the arguments with regard to the subject matter had been referred by the special court. Such submission was denied by NIA counsel”.
The bench held the judgement in the case after trial was the 'logical conclusion' and vacated the earlier stay imposed on pronouncement. The accused have also filed a petition in the High Court, challenging the NIA decision to make Shammi Firoz an approver. A single judge had yesterday referred the petition to a division bench.
No comments:
Post a Comment