Mumbai train blasts: Court raps defence for 'abusing' process of law

A special MCOCA court hearing the July 2006 Mumbai serial train blasts case has, last week, reprimanded the defence advocates saying they were abusing the process of law.

Special Judge Y D Shinde said this while rejecting the applications of the defence advocates for recalling number of witnesses to cross examine in view of new facts being brought on record through RTI application, call data records and depositions of other defence witnesses.

The court rejected the applications filed by the defence advocates and said, "This is an incorrect practice of the defence of giving applications from time to time after realising something later on or obtaining documents under the Right To Information Act. It will become an endless exercise to recall or summon witnesses if something new comes in the mind and hands of the defence as time passes."

"The defence is dragging the case. The prosecution closed its case on April 2012 after examining 188 witnesses since June 2010. A period of a year and six months has passed since then," observed the judge.

"It is obvious that the defence is taking undue advantage of the latitude shown by this court and is trying the patience of this court, which can be termed as abuse of process of law and applications can be described as frivolous," court observed.