Shramjivi blast: Lawyer refuses to represent terrorist

Jaunpur, Nov 26 (UNI) With lawyers across Uttar Pradesh protesting the November 23 serial blasts in Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad court compounds, a lawyer of one of the accused in the Patna-New Delhi Shramjivi Express bomb blast case today refused to represent his client in court.

The July 28, 2005 blast near Halpalganj-Singramau railway station in the district had killed at least 14 people and grievously wounded 90 others.

According to sources, accused Obaid-ur-Rehman and Alamgeer alias Mohd Roni appeared before Additional District and Sessions Judge (III) Rajendra Chandra under tight security.

While Obaid-ur-Rehman's lawyer Deepak Dey refused to represent his case in future, the advocate of Roni, presently lodged in Tihar Jail, Shyam Shankar Tiwari did not come for the hearing.

Fixing December 5 to hear the case, the court issued a notice to Roni's lawyer, stating as to why not a Nyay Mitra be appointed on his behalf.

Hilal-ud-din and Nafikul are also prime accused in the case and presently lodged in jail.

There are 48 witnesses in the case, of which over 35 have recorded their statement.

Chargesheet against the accused had already been filed under CrPC sections 148, 307, 302 and 120 B, Explosive Substance Act section 3/4, Railway Act section 150, 151 and Foreigners Act section 14.

Two other accused, Mohd Sharif alias Sirajuddin of Bangladesh and Dr Sayeed, are yet to be traced.

Another accused Ghulam Rajdani alias Pahiya were gunned down in an encounter.

In May, 2006, Hilal-ud-din and Nafikul were brought here from Cherallapalli Central Jail, Andhra Pradesh under a warrant, while Obaid-ur-Rehman, a Bangladeshi national, was brought from Murshidabad, West Bengal.

UNI