Final verdict in 2007 Hyderabad twin blasts on 4 September, says special NIA court: Explosion had killed 42

Hyderabad: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court on Monday postponed its judgement till 4 September in the 2007 Hyderabad twin bomb blasts case, two days after the 11th anniversary of the incident. The near-simultaneous explosions at Gokul Chat and Lumbini Park on 25 August 2007, had claimed 42 lives and left over 50 injured. [caption id=“attachment_5051351” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Hyderabad bomb blasts site. AP[/caption] On  7 August, after completion of arguments and counter-arguments, Sessions Judge T Srinivas Rao had posted the case for judgement on Monday. The Counter Intelligence (CI) wing of Telangana Police had investigated the case and filed three charge sheets against the accused, some of whom are absconding. In August 2013, the second Metropolitan Sessions Judge court had framed charges against Aneeq Shafiq Syed, Mohammed Sadiq, Akbar Ismail Choudhary and Ansar Ahmed Badhsah Sheikh - all alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives. The accused were charged under section 302 (murder) and other relevant provisions of the IPC and sections of Explosive Substances Act in connection with the twin blasts and also with regard to recovery of an unexploded bomb that was found under a foot overbridge at Dilsuknagar area here. The alleged IM men are among those arrested by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in October 2008 and later taken into custody by the Gujarat Police. Nearly 170 witnesses were examined and cross-examined during the trial. The blast at a popular eatery, Gokul Chat, killed 32 people, while 10 more died at the open air theatre at Lumbini Park, close to the state Secretariat.