KOCHI: The trial in the Wagamon SIMI camp case which began at the NIA Court here over a year ago is about to enter the final stage with the examination of the defence witnesses set to conclude next week. It is expected to be completed within the next few months. At present, the court is examining the witnesses presented by the defence lawyers. Of the five defence witnesses, three have already been examined and the remaining two will be examined on Monday.
With this, the witness examination procedure will be completed. “The final hearing will be conducted after the witness examination, following which the verdict will be pronounced,” said an NIA officer. The NIA court had examined 77 prosecution witnesses as part of the trial, which is being held in-camera. This is the also the first case in the state in which trial is conducted using video-conferencing system connecting the Kochi NIA Court with jails in Bhopal, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.
As many as 35 accused persons are facing trial in the case. There are a total of 38 accused, of whom Wasiq Billa is still absconding. Mehaboob Malik, the 31st accused, was shot dead while trying to escape from the Bhopal Central Jail last year. The secret SIMI camp was held from December 10 to 12, 2007, at Thangalpara in Wagamon.