Batla House case: Blast accused called as defence witnesses

An alleged Indian Mujahideen militant, facing trial in the 2008 Batla House encounter case here, has been allowed by a local court to make two other suspected modules of the outfit as witnesses to counter the prosecution case against him.
Shahzad Ahmed's plea to summon Mohd Saif and Zeeshan, both lodged in Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad in connection with the serial blasts of July 26, 2008, was permitted by Additional Sessions Judge Rajender Kumar Shastri, who has been holding trial of Batla House case.
The court has issued production warrant for tomorrow for both Saif and Zeeshan. Shahzad is an accused along with Saif and Zeeshan and 11 others in September 13, 2008 serial blasts.

According to the charge sheet, Mohd Saif was also present in the flat in which the encounter took place on September 19, 2008 between officers of the Special Cell of Delhi Police and the alleged Indian Mujahideen terrorists.
The police team is said to have reached the flat during its probe in the 2008 Delhi serial blasts where a series of explosions were executed at Karol Bagh, Connaught Place, Greater Kailash and India Gate killing 26 and injuring 133.
Shahzad had allegedly escaped from the flat in Jamia Nagar during the encounter. The charge sheet says Mohd Saif had surrendered peacefully and had disclosed the names of the escapees as Shahzad and one other named Junaid. While Shahzad was arrested later, Junaid was declared a proclaimed offender.

Shahzad is the lone accused facing trial in the case in which Special Cell inspector M C Sharma had lost his life.
Other accused named in the charge sheet are Mohd Atif Ameen alias Bashir and Mohd Sajid. Both of them were shot down in the encounter.
Shazad also sought summoning as defence witness officer concerned from Bilaria Ganj police station in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh along with a report dated February 1, 2010 regarding his kidnapping to support his claim that he was picked up forcibly from his house by officers of ATS, Lucknow. The court has also issued summons to him for tomorrow.