Pak court adjourns Mumbai case

A Pakistani anti-terror court conducting the trial of seven suspects, including LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, for alleged involvement in the Mumbai attacks today adjourned the matter for a week even as defence lawyers boycotted the proceedings.

The lawyers boycotted the proceedings apparently to protest Judge Baqir Ali Rana's decision to formally charge the suspects in their absence at the last hearing on October 10, sources told PTI.
There was no official word on the proceedings due to a gag order issued by the court. The judge scheduled the next hearing for October 24.

Sources quoted the lawyers as saying that the indictment of the suspects was "one-sided" and an act of "injustice".

The accused have also refused to sign the papers related to their indictment in the absence of their lawyers, the sources said.

Khwaja Sultan, one of the four defence lawyers, had last week raised objections about the manner in which the suspects were indicted. Sultan told reporters that none of the lawyers were present in court at the time of the indictment.