HC asks Gujarat Police to explain 'threat'

New Delhi, Nov 12 (UNI) The Delhi High Court has asked Gujarat Police to explain the allegations by petitioner Mohammed Shakeel, one of the five accused in the September 13 serial blasts, by December 11.

Incarcerated since his arrest on September 21, Shakeel submitted before the court his fears for ''bodily harm'' from the Gujarat Police. The 14-page petition quoted that a member of Gujarat police threatened him saying ''Hum tumhari haddi pasli ek kardengey''. The accused also challenged Delhi Metropolitan Magistrate Vinay Singhal's order on October 27, granting his custody to Gujarat police for investigations into terror attacks in Ahmedabad. He was taken to Ahmedabad by the Gujarat police, probing his role into Ahmedabad blast on July 26, which claimed 56 lives.

After hearing his counsels Jawahar Raja and Mayur Suresh, Justice Kailash Gambhir ordered yesterday to the Gujarat police to explain the allegations, mentioned in the petition, by December 11. The application filed by Shakeel's counsel said ''The accused put on record that he was threatened by a member of the team of Gujarat Police, when he was taken to Gujarat.'' The counsel argued that petitioner Shakeel had ''no previous criminal record''.

''That he was threatened with bodily harm by a member of the same police team which sought his remand was reason enough to refuse application for the remand (by Gujarat Police),'' Shakeel's counsel submitted.

''The Magistrate did not appreciate that the accused has already been extensively interrogated by the Gujarat Police while he was in custody of Delhi Police's Special Cell,'' the counsel added.

They pleaded that the Court should declare illegal the custody of the petitioner (Shakeel) with either Gujarat Police or the Delhi Police Special Cell from October 27, because according to him, the maximum period of detention for any number of offences, howsoever serious, can only be 15 days, so long as the offences are not part of entirely different transactions.

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