Varanasi blasts mastermind summoned on Aug 11

Lucknow, July 29 (UNI) A local court today ordered the presence of the mastermind of the March 7 Varanasi blasts, Mohd Waliullah, in connection with the case hearing on August 11.

Additional chief judicial magistrate Rajendra Prasad Tripathi passed the order.

Meanwhile, the defence counsel also pleaded that Waliullah be transferred from Varanasi jail to Lucknow jail, since a charge sheet accusing him of keeping illegal weapons and explosives was submitted in the Lucknow court.

On July 27, Varanasi Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) P N Srivastava had extended the judicial remand of Waliullah by 14 days and transferred two of the three related cases to the sessions court for hearing on August 10.

The court ordered two of the three Varanasi blasts cases -- Sankatmochan temple blast case and Dwashshamedh pressure-cooker bomb recovery case -- be transferred to the sessions court.

The police had filed charge sheet in the CJM court on July 18 in the two cases against six accused including Waliullah, alongwith a list of 63 witnesses.

On Wednesday, the Government Railway Police (GRP) had filed charge sheet against Waliullah along with a submission that probe against the five other accused was underway. A list of 55 witnesses was also filed by the prosecution.

Besides, Waliullah, the six accused included three Bangladeshi nationals, an accused from neighbouring Chandauli district -- all of whom were absconding -- and Mohd Jubair, who was eliminated by the Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh Police on the outskirts of Lucknow early on March 8.

Waliullah, a resident of Phoolpur (Allahabad), was arrested in the first week of April and the UP government had permitted he be tried for sedition.

At least 18 people were killed and over 100 wounded in the twin blasts at the Sankatmochan temple and Varanasi Cantonment railway station within a span of 15 minutes on the evening of March 7.

UNI XC/VS VD KN1935