Gujarat government wants one court to hear serial blasts and jail break trial cases
EmailAHMEDABAD: The state government wants the jail break attempt case to be heard by the same court that is hearing the 2008 serial blasts case. The investigating officer, PI H A Rathod proceed towards the principal judge of the city civil court P B Desai last week and filed an application to shift the hearing in the 2013 tunnel-digging incident from additional sessions judge H J Joshi’s court to special judge P C Rawal, who is appointed by Gujarat high court to expeditiously hear the serial blasts case.
The government has claimed that the shifting of the trial to the special court is for the purpose of “convenience” for the prosecution to conduct both the cases. PI Rathod submitted before the court that all 24 accused in the jail break attempt case are also accused in the July 2008 bombings incident. Most of 77 blasts responsible are also facing charges in various other courts across the country and they are frequently taken to those courts for legal proceedings.
The prosecution maintained that it obtains permission to take prosecutor outside the state from the special court, but it causes hindrance in the proceedings of tunnel digging case. If both the cases are heard by one court, this inconvenience could be avoided.
Principal Sessions judge Desai issued notice on February 6 to all accused persons. Hearing will take place on February 13.
A few defence lawyers said that the government’s bid to shift the case came after additional sessions judge Joshi took a serious view after a complaint made by one of the defence lawyers that he was not allowed to meet the accused inside jail.
Seventy-seven persons are being tried for serial blasts, in which 56 persons were killed. 24 blast accused face trial for allegedly digging a 213-foot long tunnel inside jail in February 2013.
