Almost eleven years after twin blasts rocked the city of Hyderabad claiming 44 lives and injuring 68 others, a local court found two of the five accused guilty.
Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge T Srinivas Rao, who pronounced the verdict in make shift court in Charalapally Central Prison convicted two accused Anique Shafeeq Sayeed and Akbar Ismail Choudhary and acquitted Farooq Sharfuddin Tarkash and Sadiq Israr Shaikh
However the fate of Tariq Anjum, who was charged with giving shelter to the other accused will be known on Monday. Judge said that the quantum of punishment of the two convicts will also be announced on the same day.
Two improvised explosive devices had exploded in crowded lumbini Park near the state secretariat and Gokul Chat Bhandar in Kothi on the evening of August 25, 2007 killing 44 people and injuring 68 others. Another IED was found in time and defused under the over bridge at Dilsukhnagar bus stop.
Counter Intelligence Cell of Hyderabad police had investigated the case. The accused, allegedly belonging to Indian Mujahideen were arrested with the help of Maharashtra police in 2009 and the charge sheet was filed in 2013 against five accused charging them with murder and violation of explosives substances act. The prosecution named two other accused Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal who remain absconding.
During the nearly five year long trial 160 witnesses were examined in the court. Defence Counsel M A Azeem said that the evidence produced against Sadiq and Farooq was circumstantial and the witnesses were found by the investigators one year after the incident.
However the two acquitted persons were unlikely to be released from their nine year long imprisonment as jail authorities say they will have to send them to Mumbai where they were accused in other bomb blast cases.
Prosecution alleged that the operatives of Indian Mujahideen had carried out the blasts to avenge the bomb blast in Mecca Masjid on May 18, 2007 killing six worshippers.
Prosecution claimed that Anique Shafeeq Sayeed had planted the bomb at lumbini Park under a seat before the laser show and Riyaz Bhatkal was responsible for planting the bomb at Gokul Chat Bhandar, a crowded eatery. The third bomb which failed to explode was left behind by Ismail Choudhary. While 12 people died and 21 were injured in the blast at lumbini Park, 32 people died and 47 were injured in the second blast at Gokul Chat. The bombs were timed to go one after the other at a short duration.
Prosecution said that a criminal conspiracy hatched by Riyaz, Iqbal, Anique and Amir Raza Khan to carry out the blast as they believed that Mecca Masjid blast was carried out by the Hindutva groups.
Most part of the trial was conducted by judge S Radhakrishna Murthy. After he was arrested by the anti corruption bureau , Srinivas Rao took the charge of the court and continued the hearing.
The incident had plunged the city into fear and shock as the city had already seen another blast at crowded Mecca Masjid during Friday congregation only three months earlier.
CBI and NIA who had probed the Mecca Masjid blast had arrested members of right Hindu groups but the NIA court in Hyderabad acquitted them in April 2018.