HC refuses bail to convict in 2003 train blast case

The Bombay High Court today refused to grant temporary bail to Ateef Mulla, sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment in the 2003 Mulund train bomb blast case.
Ateef had sought his release to tend to his minor son who is suffering from thalassemia.
His lawyer Mubin Solkar argued that the son of his client has to be taken to hospital regularly for blood transfusion and monitoring and that Ateef is the only person in the family who can tend to his son.
"Ateef's parents are old and bed-ridden, his wife is also suffering from spine problems. Hence he is the only one who can take care of the son. He was on bail throughout the trial and was taken into custody only in April this year after the lower court convicted and sentenced him," he said.

A division bench of Justices A S Oka and A A Sayed perused a medical report procured by the prosecution from the hospital where Ateef's son is being treated stating that the child needs to be taken to the hospital once every month till September.
"At this stage, we find that there is no case made out for grant of temporary bail to the applicant (Ateef). We shall consider the bail application on merits on July 13," the HC said.
Ateef, who had got bail from the trial court, has already spent two years and nine months in prison.
Twelve persons were killed in the blast on a Karjat-bound local train on March 13, 2003. Multiple explosions had rocked the metropolis between December 2002 and March 2003.