Mumbai, Eighteen years after the 7/11 serial train blasts case, the Bombay High Court on Friday constituted a special bench to hear the appeals filed by the convicts and confirm the death sentences.
On July 11, 2006, seven blasts occurred at different locations in seven suburban trains of the Western Railways, killing more than 180 people and injuring many others.
According to a notice issued by the High Court Registrar, a special division bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak will hear the case from July 15.
The move comes soon after Ehtesham Siddiqui, one of the death row convicts, filed an application through his lawyer Yug Chaudhary, seeking early hearing of the case.
Chaudhary had earlier this month told a division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande that the accused in the case have been behind bars for the last 18 years and their appeals have not yet been heard.
He further informed that the appeals have been repeatedly listed before several benches but have not yet been taken up for hearing.
The bench had then expressed that 18 years was indeed a very long time and said that steps would be taken to ensure that the appeals are heard.
Both Choudhary and special public prosecutor Raja Thackeray then informed the bench that it would take at least six months to hear the appeals.
In September 2015, the trial court convicted 12 people. Five were given the death penalty while the remaining seven were sentenced to life imprisonment.
After this the state government filed an appeal in the High Court to confirm the death sentence. The death sentence awarded by the trial court must be confirmed by the HC.
The convicts also filed appeals challenging their conviction and sentence. The appeals have since come before 11 different benches but have not yet been taken up for hearing.
On July 11, 2006, seven blasts occurred at different locations in seven suburban trains of the Western Railways, killing more than 180 people and injuring many others.
According to a notice issued by the High Court Registrar, a special division bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak will hear the case from July 15.
The move comes soon after Ehtesham Siddiqui, one of the death row convicts, filed an application through his lawyer Yug Chaudhary, seeking early hearing of the case.
Chaudhary had earlier this month told a division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande that the accused in the case have been behind bars for the last 18 years and their appeals have not yet been heard.
He further informed that the appeals have been repeatedly listed before several benches but have not yet been taken up for hearing.
The bench had then expressed that 18 years was indeed a very long time and said that steps would be taken to ensure that the appeals are heard.
Both Choudhary and special public prosecutor Raja Thackeray then informed the bench that it would take at least six months to hear the appeals.
In September 2015, the trial court convicted 12 people. Five were given the death penalty while the remaining seven were sentenced to life imprisonment.
After this the state government filed an appeal in the High Court to confirm the death sentence. The death sentence awarded by the trial court must be confirmed by the HC.
The convicts also filed appeals challenging their conviction and sentence. The appeals have since come before 11 different benches but have not yet been taken up for hearing.
