Arguments of three more Delhi blasts accused over

NEW DELHI - The arguments by the defence counsel of three more of the 14 accused in the Sep 13, 2008 Delhi serial blasts case ended Thursday, with all contending there was no evidence to prove their guilt.

With these, the arguments for seven of the accused - all represented by lawyer M.S. Khan, are over. Those for the remaining seven will start Sep 27.

Appearing for Sadiq Sheikh, Zia ul Rehman and Qayamuddin Kapadia, Khan argued that no circumstantial evidence is available in their case.

“Police alleged that Kapadia used a mobile phone to call his other associates on the day of the blast but the phone was not even recovered from him,” he said in Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja’s court.

Khan further argued that the police claimed that Kapadia arranged three SIM cards, but the procuring of the SIM cards for which an address proof is mandatory, the occupancy of the same residence - at L-18 Batla House - and the rent contract have different dates.

The allegations against Sadiq Shiekh is conspiracy on the basis of his using a mobile phone, he argued.

“There is no prima facie evidence against all the three,” said Khan.

Out of the 14 whom police suspect to be the members of the Indian Mujahideen terror group, three are in Tihar jail here and the other 11 in a Gujarat jail for investigations into their alleged roles in serial blasts in Ahmedabad. The court proceedings took place through video conferencing.

Five blasts took place in busy commercial areas of the capital Sep 13 within a span of 31 minutes, killing 26 and injuring 135.

The first blast took place at Ghaffar market and immediately after this, two more explosions took place in Connaught Place and two explosions rocked M-Block market in Greater Kailash-I.

Four bombs - at India Gate, outside Regal Cinema, Connaught Place and Parliament Street - were detected and defused.