7/11 blasts: Charges to be framed on June 22

A special court in Mumbai will on June 22 frame charges against 13 persons accused of orchestrating the serial train blasts in the metropolis on July 11 last year, which killed 187 people.

Special Judge Mridula Bhatkar will conduct the trial of all the 13 arrested so far by the Anti-Terrorist Squad after the charges are framed.

The charges, which were to be framed on Wednesday, were delayed due to the absence of defence lawyers.

The court also merged the case of seizure of 500 grams of RDX from Kamal Ansari in Bihar along with the train blasts case as per the Supreme Court order on April 5.

Ansari, who has been jailed at Kalyan, had told the court that it was difficult to come to the court on a daily basis from Kalyan as he was out for about 12 hours without food.

Bhatkar then directed that Ansari along with another accused, Ehtesham Siddiqui, be shifted to the Arthur Road jail. "I am definitely concerned about their health," she said.

Four of the accused including Ansari, Siddiqui and two others -- Mohammed Sajid Ansari and Tanvir Ansari -- have not yet engaged any advocate.

The judge, while taking on record Tanvir's submission that he does not want legal aide, asked the other three to confirm when they would appoint their advocates.