Delhi HC blast: Judicial custody of 2 suspected terrorists extended

The judicial custody of two suspected terrorists, Wasim Akram Malik and Amir Abbas Dev, arrested by the NIA for their alleged roles in the terror attack at the Delhi High Court reception last September, was extended on Wednesday till April 18 by a court.

District Judge HS Sharma extended their custody in an in-chamber hearing and listed the matter for April 18 for scrutiny of documents, filed on March 13 by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with the charge sheet in the case, court sources said.

The NIA had filed charge sheet against six persons including three arrested accused - Wasim Akram Malik, Amir Abbas Dev and a minor, besides three others - Amir Kamal, Junaid Akram Malik and Shakir Hussain Seikh alias Chota Hafiz, who have been alleged be the members of banned terror outfit Hizb-ul Mujahideen and are evading arrest.

The agency had said the September 7, 2011 terror attack at the high court reception was plotted with an aim to get commuted the death sentence of the December 2001 Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru.

The NIA, in its 1,062-page charge sheet, had said two Pakistani nationals Abu Bilal and Abu Saifullah had planted the bomb at the entrance of gate number five of the Delhi High Court, killing 17 persons and injuring over 90 others.

According to the charge sheet, the entire terror attack was plotted between June and September last year at Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir by Wasim Akram Malik and other co-accused to threaten the judiciary and to get the death sentence of Afzal Guru repealed.

It said process of proclamation against three absconding accused has been initiated and a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh each has been announced for giving information about them.

The charge sheet against the accused has been filed under various sections of the IPC dealing with murder, criminal conspiracy, waging war against the nation, attempt to murder, causing grievous hurt and others.

Besides these, the accused have also been charged under various sections of the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Detailing Wasim Akram Malik's role, it had said he was a student of MBBS at Jalalabad Ragib-Rabeya Medical College and Hospital in Bangladesh and his younger brother and co-accused Junaid Akram Malik was an active member of Hizb-ul Mujahideen.

The agency, in its chargesheet, said Wasim had conducted a recce of Delhi High Court area and his target for the blast was gate number five.

Regarding other accused, the NIA said on September 3 last year, Wasim and other co-accused had met Amir Abbas Dev at Kishtwar and planned about the execution of the blast.

Along with the chargesheet, the NIA has submitted various documents and a list of around 200 witnesses in the court.

Dev and Wasim are behind bars since their arrest by NIA for their alleged roles in the case.