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Maharashtra

7/11 Mumbai Train Blasts Case: 17 Years On, Bombay High Court Yet To Commence Hearing In Death Penalty Confirmation Of Convicts

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Exactly 17 years after seven bombs ripped through Mumbai’s local trains killing over 180 people and injuring several on July 11 during the evening rush hour, the hearing in the death confirmations of four accused is yet to commence before the Bombay High Court. 

7/11 Bombings

On July 11, 2006, seven blasts occurred in a span of 15 minutes in local trains on the Western Railways. The first bomb blast took place around 6:20 pm in a Churchgate-Borivali train, when it was between Khar and Santacruz stations. Another bomb exploded around the same time in a local train between Bandra and Khar. Five more explosions were reported from Jogeshwari, Mahim, Mira Road-Bhayandar, Matunga-Mahim and Borivali. 

The probe was handed over to the state Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) which arrested 13 persons allegedly belonging to the Indian Mujahideen.

Special MCOCA court awarded death sentence to five convicts 

In September 2015, the special MCOCA court had awarded death sentences to five convicts and life imprisonment to seven others. A death sentence awarded by the trial court has to be confirmed by the HC.

Soon, the state government approached the HC seeking confirmation of the death sentence of four convicts – Mohammad Faisal Shaikh, Ehtesham Siddiqui, Naveed Hussain Khan, Asif Khan, all of them bomb planters. They have also filed an appeal against their conviction and death sentence.

One of the bomb planters died due to COVID

Kamal Ahamed Ansari, one of the bomb planters who was awarded death sentence by the MCOCA court died due to COVID-19 in Nagpur Prison in 2022. So the case against him stands abated (dropped). 

The other seven – Tanvir Ahmed Ansari, Mohammad Majid Shafi, Shaikh Alam Shaikh, Mohd Sajid Ansari, Muzzammil Shaikh, Soheil Mehmood Shaikh and Zamir Ahmad Shaikh – have also approached the HC challenging their life imprisonment.

Since 2015, confirmation pleas heard by nine different benches

Since 2015, the confirmation pleas and appeals have come up for hearing before  nine different benches. However, they have not been heard. 

It was last listed before a division bench of Justices Ajey Gadkari and PD Naik, which refused itself from hearing the case. 

Prosecution & Defence Counsel will have to re-read 179 volumes of papers before court

Special public prosecutor Raja Thakare had informed the HC in January 2022 that 191 prosecution witnesses and 51 defence witnesses were examined before the special court. Besides, there are 179 volumes of papers. Both, the prosecution and the defence will have to re-read all the evidence before the HC for deciding the appeals in the case.

Defence counsel Yug Chaudhri too said that the evidence was voluminous and he alone would take three months to present his evidence before the court.

Due to voluminous evidence in the case, the prosecution and the defence counsels had also approached then Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court Dipankar Datta requesting to constitute a special bench to hear the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case of 2006. However, no special bench is formed as yet.

Maharashtra

Thieves caught stealing MTNL cables in Vakola, Senior officer caught them red handed

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Thieves were caught red handed while stealing cables from MTNL’s underground manhole in Vakola area of ​​Mumbai.

A senior MTNL official caught the thieves while they were removing the cables with the help of a JCB machine and a tempo. This incident took place just 100 meters away from Vakola police station, while a police blockade was also going on at a distance of just 50 meters.

MTNL’s goods, tempo and JCB machine have been taken to the police station.

According to sources, the involvement of some scrap dealers (Bangar Wale) and some MTNL workers is suspected in this theft. At present, interrogation is going on at Vakola police station.

So far, MTNL has suffered a loss of about Rs 500 crore due to cable theft in Mumbai.

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Maharashtra

Visit to Deonar Bakra Mandi on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, important meeting led by Mumbai Congress President Prof. Varshatai Gaikwad

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Mumbai: On the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, a delegation led by Lok Sabha MP and Mumbai Congress President Smt. Prof. Varshatai Gaikwad saheb visited Deonar Bakra Mandi (Slaughterhouse).

On this occasion, she had a special meeting with the General Manager of Deonar Slaughterhouse, Mr. Kaleem Pasha Pathan and discussed in detail the problems faced by the public and traders present in the mandi.

The main points of the discussion were as follows:

Problems faced by traders
Care and maintenance of animals
Cleanliness situation in the mandi
Traffic problems and their solutions
Difficulties faced by common citizens

Professor Gaikwad saheb gave necessary instructions to the concerned authorities for the early resolution of all these problems and assured that Mumbai Congress stands with the people.

Honorable MLA Mr. Aslam Sheikh Sahib, Honorable MLA Mr. Amin Patel Sahib, MLA Dr. Jyoti Tai Gaikwad Sahib, former Corporator and former Chairman of Mumbai Congress Minority Wing Haji Babbu Khan Sahib and other senior leaders and office bearers of Mumbai Congress were also present in this important visit.

The visit was a positive effort for mutual discussions, identification of problems and effective steps to resolve them, which makes an auspicious occasion like Eid more meaningful.

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Maharashtra

ATS crackdown on 22 members including suspected member of Padgha Daesh Saqib Nachan, ATS conducted midnight operation on relatives

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Mumbai: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has claimed to have seized several important documents and items during raids at the homes of Saqib Nachan, a former member of ISIS and Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), and 22 of his close associates and relatives. The ATS had received information that important documents and other items were hidden at the homes of Saqib Nachan and his close associates, after which the ATS launched the raids at 2 am last night and the operation continued till 4 am, after which the ATS team left for Mumbai. During this operation, the ATS team also cordoned off the entire area. In Borivali Pargham, ATS has conducted raids on Abid Ashraf Mulla, Moaz Mulla, Aqib Saqib Nachan, Abdul Latif Shadab Kaskar, Urmesh Irfan Mulla, Hashim Nadvi, Farooq Mulla, Nabeel Malik Khot, Qais Arif Khot, Kaif Nachan, Sahil Munyar, Adnan Mulla, Shero Deokar, Sharjeel Nachan, Sajid Nachan, Zeeshan Mulla, Atif Mulla, Shams Khot, Asjad Mulla, Raif Khot, Abid Khot. During this time, some of them were on Hajj trips, so they were not present at home.

In this case, ATS conducted raids and did not arrest anyone during house searches. Zubair Mulla, a resident of a small mosque who deals in land, was on a Hajj trip. Zubair Mulla was convicted in the 2002 and 2003 bomb blasts and was also sentenced. Now he is lodged in Delhi jail along with Saqib Nachan in the case of ISIS connection in Delhi. Abdul Latif Kaskar is employed in Godam and is also a friend of Farhan Sousa in the Delhi ISIS case. Shams Khot, Rais Khot, Abid Ashraf Mulla, Moaz Ashraf Mulla, Qais Asif Khot were not present at the house during the search, while a raid was conducted at Kalyan’s house in Sahil Munyar and he was also not present here.

ATS had found Saqib Nachan active in terrorist activities again since 2017. During this time, ATS had kept an eye on him and a case was also registered against him, but in this case, NIA had arrested Saqib Nachan in the ISIS case. First, his son Aqib Nachan was arrested and then Saqib will also be arrested. ATS has also claimed to have seized several important documents during the operation, which will be investigated and then the action will progress accordingly. Maharashtra ATS has conducted raids at 15 places including Mumbai police station Bhiwandi Kalyan and during this, action has also been taken against suspected members of ISIS. In this operation, ATS is expected to find many important documents and evidence. The ATS has taken action in this case against those accused of being involved in anti-national and illegal activities. ATS is taking further action in this case, while no arrest has been made so far after searching anyone.

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