Will approach higher court, say kin of 7/11 blasts convicts

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

The kin of the convicts in the 7/11 serial train blasts case here, five of whom have been handed death sentence, today said they will approach the High Court to challenge the verdict.

A special MCOCA court here today sentenced five of the 12 convicted in the case to death while the remaining were awarded life imprisonment. 189 people were killed in the 2006 blast in which 829 others were also injured.

Grief-stricken Ataur Rehman, a relative of convicts Faizal and Muzammil, said they will appeal in a higher court against the decision.

"There have been cases earlier, where the lower court has given death sentence and later the high court has not upheld it," he said.

Mukhtar Ahmaed Shaikh, brother of Mohammad Ali Shaikh, said his family too will appeal in the High Court against the trial court's verdict.

Abdul Wahid Shaikh, an accused who got acquittal in this case, said, "I was arrested in 2006 and acquitted in 2015. During these 9 years, I was completely devastated...I lost my job and also my wife and children suffered. I was harassed mentally and physically because of my arrest in this case."

"One should feel happy after getting acquitted, but as my 12 innocent brothers are inside I am not happy," he claimed.

"We will file an appeal for the 12 brothers (convicts) in the High Court with the help of Jamait-Ulema against this verdict," Shaikh said.

Jamait-Ulema, a prominent Muslim NGO, had provided legal aid to all the 12 convicts.

"It is not the question of being happy or not with this verdict. I have lived with them (convicts) for 9 years and the innocent are being sentenced..I feel bad for that," he claimed.