Court verdict Thursday in Batla House shootout

A Delhi court Thursday will pronounce its verdict in the 2008 Batla House shootout in which a lone suspected Indian Mujahideen operative Shahzad Ahmad is facing trial.

Additional Sessions Judge Rajender Kumar Shastri will pass the order.

The prosecution, in its final arguments, had contended that it had "sufficient circumstantial evidence" and phone records to prove that accused Ahmad was present in the Jamia Nagar flat in Batla House.

Ahmad, said to be one of the occupants of the flat in Jamia Nagar, was among those who had fired Sep 19, 2008 at the police party, leading to the death of inspector M.C. Sharma.

However, Ahmad's counsel claimed that he was not present in the flat in which the alleged shootout between officers of the Special Cell of Delhi Police and the alleged IM terrorists took place.

Ahmad, along with another accused Junaid, had jumped off the balcony and fled after firing at the police party.

The IM operatives are said to be involved in the Sep 13, 2008 serial blasts at Karol Bagh, Connaught Place, Greater Kailash and India Gate which left 26 dead and 133 injured.

Other accused named in the charge sheet are Mohd Saif, Mohd Atif Ameen alias Bashir and Mohd Sajid. While Saif had surrendered, the other two were shot dead in the shootout.

The shootout had sparked controversy when Congress leader Digvijaya Singh claimed it to be fake, but his party distanced itself from his remarks. The then home minister P. Chidambaram asserted that the encounter was genuine.