A year later, charges framed but trial after Aug 21

Along with the 13 accused, 15 absconding accused, including LeT commander in chief (training) Azam Cheema and two deceased accused — Salim died in the blasts and Abu Osama died in a police encounter — have been charged for hatching the conspiracy.

The chargesheet names Cheema, Shaikh and Bashir Khan as key conspirators who hatched the plot in 1999. The prosecution’s case is that between February 2006 to July 11, 2006, the accused held several strategy sessions, choosing local trains as the target for the blasts. Pakistanis arrived in Mumbai to help them execute the blasts. The bombs, assembled in the house of accused Mohammed Ali, were taken to Shaikh’s house. These were then taken in rexine bags to Churchgate station and planted in seven trains. The result was a series of blasts lasting around 10 minutes in seven trains.

“Throughout the proceedings, accused No 5 never informed the court that he does not understand Hindi. Now he informs the court in Hindi that he has submitted applications after consulting Hashmi. The court observes that accused No 5 understands Hindi,” she said adding, therefore, that there is no need for an Urdu translator.

On the plea of the accused to transfer the case, Bhatkar said: “All accused have been detained for the last 8-9 months in prison. This court understands their emotional plight and expresses empathy. Therefore, considering the situation, the court grants them 15 days, that is till August 21, to seek necessary orders from competent court (before the principal judge).”

... contd.