Last accused in CP blast acquitted

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 12.

A Delhi court has acquitted the last accused in the Connaught Place bomb blats case. The other four accused in the case were acquitted on March 7.

However, Farooq is facing trial in the Lajpat Nagar blast case in the court of the Additional Judge, Mr. N.K. Kaushik.

Farooq Ahmed Khan, chief spokesman of the Jammu & Kashmir Islamic Front and fifth accused in the case faced a separate trial from the other accused.

The blast had occurred on November 21, 1995 in the parking lot near Nirula's restaurant in which several persons had received injuries and many vehicles had been damaged.

The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr. Babu Lal, set free accused Ms Farida, Hardeep Singh, Kulwinderjeet Singh, Farooq Ahmed Khan and Rajvinder Singh holding that prosecution had failed to prove that the accused persons were in Delhi on the day of the blast.

The Connaught Place police's case was mainly based on disclosure statements of Farooq and Farida. But the Judge refused to take note of them on the plea that the statements were not admissible in a court of law under Section 25 of the Evidence Act.

Except the disclosure statements, prosecution had no substantial evidence on record to prove the case. ``In view of the prosecution failure to prove the case, all the four accused are acquitted in the case,'' the Judge said.

However, Farooq is facing tril in the Lajpat Nagar blast case in the court of the Additional Judge, Mr. N.K. Kaushik.

Farooq Ahmed and Farida had been arrested in Kashmir in connection with another bomb blast in the State. From there they were brought to the Capital for interrogation about the Connaught Place blast . Both had made disclosure statements on June 6 1996 owning their involvement in the blast.

Farooq Ahmed had revealed that he was the chief spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front which was headed by Bilal Ahmed Beg. Farida had told the police that the pencils used in the blast had been handed over to her by Farooq Ahmed and that both had taken the help of certain ``Sikh militants'' for causing the blast.

They had also revealed that Khursheed Ahmed Beg Nayeem, who has been absconding, had paid money to the Sikh militants for causing the blast.

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