7/11 bomb blasts case: MCOCA court frames charges

Mumbai, July 30: The special Maharashtra Control for Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court here today commenced the process of framing charges against the 13 people, who stand accused in last year's July 11 train blasts in the metropolis that had left 187 people dead and over 700 injured.

Special public prosecutor Raja Thakare concluded his opening remarks and the defence will argue against the charges tomorrow, before MCOCA court judge Mridula Bhatkar.

Advocate Thakare told the court that the 7/11 train blasts conspiracy was hatched way back in the year 1999. The accused used to receive financial help from Azmi Chima, who is an absconding accused in this case, and also through the Hawala route.

Mr Thakare read out the statement of an accused, who had procured a passport and visa from Nepal to go to Pakistan to train in weapons and explosive.

According to the prosecution, the accused Kamal Ansari, Dr Tanvir Ansari, Faisal Sheikh, Ehtesjham Siddique, Mohammed Majid Shafi, Mohammed Ali Aslam Sheikh, Mohammed Sajid, Abdul Wahiduddin, Muzammil Sheikh, Sohail Sheikh, Zameer Sheikh, Naveed Hussain and Asif Khan Basir Khan had allegedly executed a plan to explode seven bombs at seven different places in a span of 11 minutes between 1824 hrs and 1835 hrs, last year.

On November 30 last year, the prosecution had filed a chargesheet running into over 10,000 pages against the 13 accused, who are presently in judicial custody. The Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) had also filed a supplementary chargesheet against all the accused on April 9 this year.

UNI