Court may drop TADA charges against Tunda

A court here Thursday said charges filed against Lashkar-e-Taiba's bomb expert Abdul Karim Tunda under a stringent law over a 1994 case pertaining to recovery of explosive substances can be dropped.

Hearing arguments, additional sessions judge Bharat Parashar said he can drop charges slapped under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) against Tunda as he has not found any sufficient evidence against him.

However, the court indicated that it has found prima facie evidence against Tunda for charging him under the Explosive Substances Act (ESA).

The court directed Delhi Police and defence counsel M.S. Khan to file written submission on this regard and set May 28 as next date of hearing.

The court said it can seek any clarification, if needed, or pass an order on the charges during the next hearing.

Delhi Police March 12 filed a supplementary chargesheet against Tunda under the TADA and the ESA.

The court earlier sought clarification from police whether they have any fresh evidence against Tunda for the charges under TADA while observing that other five co-accused, arrested in the case, were discharged by a trial court in Dec 1999 from TADA charges.

However, they were convicted under the ESA and on charges of criminal conspiracy.

Police said the designated court, at that time, while acquitting the five co-accused under the provisions of TADA, had said Tunda was excluded from its observations.

Tunda was declared a proclaimed offender in the case of recovery of explosive substances. The case was registered in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar police station in 1994.

Police also said some accused were arrested Jan 17, 1994, and 150 kg explosives and six daggers were seized from their possession.

Police said Tunda is involved in 33 bomb blasts in India between 1994 and 1998, 22 of those in Delhi. He was arrested in Aug 2013.