Blast accused refuse to deliver statement

Mumbai, Sep 26: Blast accused Mohammed Iqbal Shaikh, who was found guilty yesterday for his involvement in the Mumbai blasts, today refused to record his statement before designated Judge P D Kode in the TADA court.

The court records the statement of an accused before deciding on the quantum of punishment to be awarded to an accused.

While refusing to make any statement, Shaikh demanded to know from the court staff as to why was he called repeatedly. ''I should not be disturbed as I am not well,'' he said before stepping out of the witness-box and sitting in the chair reserved for the accused persons.

It seemed that Shaikh, who was convicted for parking a RDX laden scooter at Naigoan (Dadar) was not in a proper state of mind.

Following his refusal to make any statement, Judge Kode asked the defence advocate, Farhana Shah, to record the statement of her client and submit it before the court.

Meanwhile another convict, Nasim Barmare, who was found guilty of lobbing hand-grenades at the Sahar International Airport, started shouting in the court room insisting that he was being wrongly punished.

The court pointed out to him that he was convicted on the basis of the material produced before it.

With folded hands, Bagmare said that he should be pardoned for shouting in the court. He prayed for a lesser punishment, so that he could take care of his aged mother.

He implored the court to consider his more than 13 years stay in jail, while deciding on the quantum of his punishment.

UNI

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