Court prohibits cops’ visits to serial blasts accused
TNN | Updated: Apr 9, 2019, 06:11 IST
Representative imageAHMEDABAD: The special court hearing the 2008 serial blasts case has prohibited any meeting between investigating officials and the accused in this case in the jail premises without its permission, to rule out enticement being used to turn them approvers.
Last week, special judge A R Patel directed the Sabarmati central jail superintendent not to let any police officer other than jail staff meet the accused persons lodged in jail here, without the court’s prior permission.
The court ordered so after defence lawyers complained that officers of the investigation agency call the accused to the jail superintendent’s office to meet them and give them tempting offers to turn approver, in lieu of getting absolved in this case. They demanded that no police officer from the investigation agency be allowed to meet the accused persons.
The defence lawyers strongly objected to such meetings after one accused turned an approver last month and the court pardoned him. He has been granted pardon on condition of testifying before the court what he has stated in his lengthy confession letter.
The court said that it is of the opinion that no police official except for jail staff should be allowed meet the accused persons without court’s permission.
Meanwhile, the court has stayed for 15 days the process of recording the statement of the accused who has turned approver. Defence lawyers sought a month’s stay on this process, so as to challenge the order granting pardon in the high court.
The court said it planned to record the approver’s statement on oath within a week’s time because once the accused has turned approver, issues regarding the safety of the prisoner and his family members are of utmost importance. It said that it could not wait a month to record the confession, but granted defence lawyers 15 days to resort to a legal remedy.
On July 26, 2008, 56 persons were killed in 19 bomb blasts. Some 80 persons have been arrested over 10 years in this case. An outfit named Indian Mujahideen (IM) claimed responsibility for the terror strike.
Last week, special judge A R Patel directed the Sabarmati central jail superintendent not to let any police officer other than jail staff meet the accused persons lodged in jail here, without the court’s prior permission.
The court ordered so after defence lawyers complained that officers of the investigation agency call the accused to the jail superintendent’s office to meet them and give them tempting offers to turn approver, in lieu of getting absolved in this case. They demanded that no police officer from the investigation agency be allowed to meet the accused persons.
The defence lawyers strongly objected to such meetings after one accused turned an approver last month and the court pardoned him. He has been granted pardon on condition of testifying before the court what he has stated in his lengthy confession letter.
The court said that it is of the opinion that no police official except for jail staff should be allowed meet the accused persons without court’s permission.
Meanwhile, the court has stayed for 15 days the process of recording the statement of the accused who has turned approver. Defence lawyers sought a month’s stay on this process, so as to challenge the order granting pardon in the high court.
The court said it planned to record the approver’s statement on oath within a week’s time because once the accused has turned approver, issues regarding the safety of the prisoner and his family members are of utmost importance. It said that it could not wait a month to record the confession, but granted defence lawyers 15 days to resort to a legal remedy.
On July 26, 2008, 56 persons were killed in 19 bomb blasts. Some 80 persons have been arrested over 10 years in this case. An outfit named Indian Mujahideen (IM) claimed responsibility for the terror strike.
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