The much-awaited verdict in the 11-year old twin blast case was today postponed by NIA special court in Hyderabad and it is now expected to be pronounced on September 4.
After hearing the final arguments in the case, the court had reserved the judgment earlier this month and it was scheduled to be pronounced today at the makeshift court in Charalapally Central Jail.
However, the 2nd additional metropolitan sessions judge T Srinivasa Rao, who is also the judge of the NIA court, today announced that he was postponing it to Tuesday next. 43 people were killed and 68 others were injured when bombs exploded at two crowded places in Hyderabad – lumbini Park near Secretariat and GokulChat Bhandar, on August 25, 2007.
While four persons were arrested in Maharashtra and charged with conspiracy and execution of the blasts, three others, including Riyaz Bhatkal, were absconding. The five accused who are in jail include Anique Shafeeq Syed, Ismail Riyaz Choudhary, Farooq Sharfuddin Tarkash and Mohammed Sadiq Israr Ahmed. The prosecution charged the accused with carrying out the blast to avenge another bomb blast in historic Mecca Masjid in May 2007. While several members of right wing Hindu group including RSS Pracharak Swami Aseemanabd were arrested and charged with the blast in the mosque, a Hyderabad court recently acquitted all the accused.
An accused in the twin blast case Anique Shafeeq submitted to the court a written representation that he was innocent and Maharashtra police extracted a confession from him by subjecting him to the third degree torture.