Hyderabad twin blast case verdict postponed

43 people were killed and 68 others injured in bomb blasts at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat Bhandar

The much-awaited verdict in the 11-year-old twin blast case was yesterday postponed by NIA special court in Hyderabad and it is now expected to be pronounced on September 4.

After hearing the final arguments in the case, the court had reserved the judgement earlier this month and it was scheduled to be pronounced yesterday at the makeshift court in Charalapally Central Jail.

However the 2nd additional metropolitan sessions judge T Srinivasa Rao, who is also the judge of NIA court yesterday announced that he was postponing it to Tuesday next.

Forty-three people were killed and 68 others were injured when bombs exploded at two different crowded places in Hyderabad — Lumbini Park near Secretariat and GokulChat Bhandar on August 25, 2007. While four persons were arrested in Maharashtra and charged with conspiracy and execution of the blasts, three others including Riyaz Bhatkal are absconding. The five accused who are in jail include Anique Shafeeq Syed, Esmail Riyaz Choudhary, Farooq Sharfuddin Tarkash and Mohammad Sadiq Israr Ahmad. The prosecution charged the accused of carrying out the blast to avenge another bomb blast in the Makkah Masjid in May 2007. While several members of right wing Hindu group, including RSS Pracharak Swami Aseemanabd, were arrested and charged with the blast, a Hyderabad court recently acquitted all of them.

An accused in the twin blast case Anique Shafeeq submitted to the court a written representation that he was innocent and Maharashtra police extracted a confession by subjecting him to the third degree torture.

The prosecution charged the accused of carrying out the blast to avenge another bomb blast in the historic Makkah Masjid in May 2007.