HC allows transfer of Baig to Arthur Road Jail from Nagpur

The Bombay High Court today allowed the transfer of Himayat Baig, the lone convict in the 2010 Pune German Bakery blast case, from Nagpur Central Prison to Arthur Road Jail here pending disposal of the appeal filed by him challenging his death penalty.
A division bench of Justices N H Patil and S B Shukre is at present hearing Baig's appeal along with the state government's petition seeking confirmation of the death sentence awarded to Baig by a Pune court.
Baig is at present lodged in Nagpur jail and the case proceedings are going on through video conferencing.
Baig had filed an application seeking his transfer to a prison in Mumbai as he wanted to attend the high court proceedings and interact with his lawyers.

His lawyers have told the high court that it was not possible for them to take proper instructions from their client through video conferencing.
The prosecution had opposed the plea on the ground that only undertrials are lodged at Arthur Road Jail and death row convicts are either kept in prison in Nagpur or Pune.

In its order, the high court permitted Baig to be lodged at Arthur Road Jail till his case is heard and decided finally.
A sessions court in 2013 had sentenced Baig to death for his role in the bomb blast inside the German Bakery in Pune on February 13, 2010, that killed 17 people, including five foreign nationals and, injured 58 others.

Earlier, Baig was lodged in Yerwada jail in Pune and was ordered to be shifted to Nagpur Central Jail after he alleged that there was a threat to his life following the death of co-accused Qateel Siddiqui inside the Pune prison.