HYDERABAD: Delay in collection and production of evidences and 14 prime witnesses turning hostile has diluted the case of the suicide bombing of the task force office at Begumpet in 2005. While giving judgement in the case on Thursday, the court said the prosecution has failed in faster collection and production of evidence with the Forensic Sciences Laboratory, which is one of the reasons that led to the acquittal in the case. The then Special Investigation Team’s chief ACP Diwakar and his team had collected 102 material objects from various places, including the explosion site, and listed 86 witnesses during the course of investigation.
The accused were all booked under Sections 302, 153 A, 120 B of IPC, Sections 16, 18, 19, 20 of UAPA (Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act), Sections 3 and 5 of Explosive Substances Act and also Sections 25 and 27 of Indian Arms Act.However, only 58 witnesses turned up during the trial, among which 14 prime witnesses turned hostile. “The 14 witnesses, mostly relatives of the accused, turned hostile. Though a few of them had earlier accepted providing shelter to the accused, they told the court that they could not identify the accused,” said additional public prosecutor P Shailaja. Meanwhile, detective department DCP Avinash Mohanty on Thursday said, “We will take legal opinion on the judgement and try to go for an appeal at the higher court.”
Investigation officer returned only in 2012
The investigating officer was abroad on duties and the investigation was stalled till his return in 2012
The government so far appointed six public prosecutors in the case, of which more number of trials were conducted by PP Chella Seshu Reddy for a long time I have been appointed as the prosecutor recently and I have submitted the evidences best of what investigators have collected to prove the caseP Shailaja Public prosecutor
cops link blast to haren pandya’s murder
Sources say the suicide bombing was a revenge attack carried out by alleged terror suspects
The act was reportedly carried out to avenge the death of a city-based youngster Mujahid Saleem in a shootout by Gujarat police in the city in 2004
Saleem and some others had reportedly prevented the Gujarat police officials from shifting cleric Maulana Naseeruddin from Hyderabad to Gujarat in connection with the sensational murder of former Gujarat Home minister Haren Pandya
Thursday’s verdict was second such case in which all accused were acquitted after examining the evidences against them. Two months earlier a local court had acquitted Mohammed Pahelwan, a key accused in an attempt to murder All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi in 2011
Police officials have discussed the verdict with legal experts for future course of action
Text: Mouli Mareedu
What delayed the case?
Court pointed out the failure in establishing the links between the accused persons framed of various charges in the case
Though the accused had conspired to wage a war against the nation, establishing links between a few of them did not happen, as they were in contact with a third person and not directly
P Shailaja, Public Prosecutor
Some of the absconding accused, on whom non-bailable warrants are pending, are said to have fled to Arab countries and some are settled in Saudi Arabia. However, there are no confirmed reports. The defence counsel had told the court that investigators made random arrests and then tried to frame charges against them, but the accused have a role in the case
Police sources
There are several factors. Six PPs and six judges have changed during the trial of this case. Meantime, some witnesses did not arrive to the trials and the defence counsel has cross examined all the witnesses for a really long time, based on their statements recorded by the investigators. During Telangana agitation time, the courts were non-functional and trial was not conducted during that time. The long wait has ended like thisPolice sources