Mumbai: 7/11 trial resumes before MCOCA court

The trial in the 2006 serial blasts in Mumbai trains, in which 187 people were killed and over 800 injured, resumed in Mumbai on Monday before a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court, two years after it was stayed by the Supreme Court court.

The apex court had in February 2008 stayed the trial after one of the arrested, Kamal Ansari, moved the court challenging the constitutional validity of a particular section pertaining to insurgency in the MCOCA.

The Supreme Court had on April 25 this year dismissed the petition and vacated the stay on the trial.

All the 13 arrested accused attended the proceedings on Monday through video-conferencing.

With only one lawyer having consented to appear for the accused so far, Special Judge Y D Shinde adjourned the case until June 14, directing all the accused to appoint a lawyer for themselves by the stipulated period.

The accused had earlier refused to appoint any lawyer to defend them and demanded for the stringent provisions of MCOCA be dropped from the case.

The Jamaiat-e-Ulema, a Muslim organisation, which offers legal support to the accused, has contacted several criminal lawyers to defend the suspects.

"Four lawyers -- Abadh Ponda, Zia-ul-Mustafa, Prakash Shetty and R B Mokashi would appear for the accused on the next date. We have approached other lawyers for the case," Gulzar Azmi, general secretary of the organisation, said.