After the charges were read out, Judge Bhatkar called each of the accused to the dock asking them if they pleaded guilty or not. Kamal Ansari said, "I hail from a place (Madhubani, Bihar) where our culture does not permit us to indulge in such (terrorist) activities." Dr Tanvir said, "I have no faith in the court. I want the case to be transferred to another court." When the Judge again asked him whether he pleaded guilty or not, Tanvir said, "Not guilty."

Ehteshaam Siddiqui, another accused, told the judge, "We are not participating in the proceedings. We have complained about so many problems but you do not take any action. You have made up your mind." One by one, 12 accused made similar allegations. Only Zameer Shaikh said "not guilty".

When Judge Bhatkar told the accused to sit on the bench at the back of the court, Siddiqui protested and said, "I will not sit in the dock. I told you I don't want to participate in legal proceedings."

The judge then sought lawyers' assistance on what could be done if such a situation arose. Amicus curie Rizwan Merchant said, "As per section 230 of the Criminal Procedure Code, if the accused does not wish to plead (guilty or not), the judge can go ahead with the examination of witnesses."

Special public prosecutor Raja Thakre said, "If you check the roznama for a couple of hearings, the accused have been given enough time to prepare."

When the court asked the accused to sign on the plea stating whether they plead guilty or not, defence lawyer Prakash Shetty said that he wanted to talk to the accused and clear some misunderstanding between them.