Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Fahim Ansari's bail plea to be heard on July 19

July 15, 2010 17:16 IST
Fahim Ansari's bail plea will come up for hearing in the First Additional Sessions Judge's court in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday, July 19, his lawyer Mohammed Shohaib told Rediff.com

"We have applied for Fahim's bail and it is slated to be heard on July 19 in the Rampur court," he said.

However, his lawyer is not too hopeful of Ansari's release anytime soon.

"Let us hope the judge accepts our plea as he has been acquitted by the special court that was trying the 26/11 trial case in Mumbai of all charges," Shohaib said.

The prosecution in the 26/11 trial had claimed that Ansari had prepared maps of terror targets and handed it over to Sabauddin Ahmed in Nepal. Ahmed allegedly forwarded those to his Lashkar-e-Tayiba handlers, which were later used by the 10 Pakistani terrorists responsible for murderous mayhem in Mumbai after November 26, 2008.

As per the chargesheet filed by the UP Anti Terrorist Squad against Ansari he is to be tried under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code along with Section 25 of the Arms Act.

The Rampur court has also framed charges against him under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC. The other charge against him has been filed under Section 25 of the Arms Act for possessing arms. He was shown to be in possession of a pistol.

Ansari was arrested on February 10, 2008 from Rampur as a suspect in the attack on a Central Reserve Police Force camp in the town.

"Though he was arrested for his complicity in the attack on the CRPF camp in Rampur the chargesheet is filed under sections that deal with forgery. We have no clue about how he is," Fahim's wife Yasmin, who is yet to meet him after he was taken to the Bareilly jail, told Rediff.com, speaking from her home in Mumbai.

Shohaib said after Ansari was brought back to Bareilly the UP ATS filed a new chargesheet against him, a copy of which he is yet to get.

"The jail authorities were supposed to bring him to court on June 29 but they didn't because they did not want us to get the new chargesheet," the lawyer said, alleging that the UP Special Task Force does not want his client to get a fair trial.

The lawyer said if it were not the 26/11 attacks, the UP police would have framed Ansari in some other case.

"It seems like Fahim's fate is sealed," the lawyer said.

Also read: 26/11 judgment dents Mumbai police's credibility

Prasanna D Zore in Mumbai