LeT 'militant', one other held guilty 2006 Kozhikode blasts case

In the first verdict in NIA-investigated terror case in Kerala, a court Thursday held suspected LeT militant T Naseer and another man guilty of offences in the March 3, 2006, twin blasts case in Kozhikode.

The CBI Special court in Kochi, the designated court hearing National Investigation Agency cases acquitted two other accused. While Abdul Halim got the benefit of doubt, there was no evidence against C Yusuf, judge S Vijay Kumar said.

The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on Friday.

The court held there was sufficient material against Naseer, an accused in 2008 Bangalore blasts case, and Shafas and found them guilty in the Kozhikode blasts in which two policemen and a porter were injured.

NIA filed the charge sheet in August 2010 against eight men, listing Naseer as prime accused.

The accused were chargsheeted under various Sections of IPC, including Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), relevant sections of Unlawful Assembly Prevention Act, 1967, and Explosive Substance Act.

Naseer is also named as an accused in the burning of a Tamil Nadu state bus in 2005 at nearby Kalamassery by suspected PDP activists to protest against PDP leader Abdul Nasser Madani's detention in connection with the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blasts which claimed 58 lives and left over 200 injured.

While one of the accused Fayas was killed in an encounter with security forces in Kashmir, another accused Shammi Firoz was made an approver. Two others who are at large abroad have been declared as wanted.

About 58 prosecution witnesses were examined.

There was strong police presence in the court when the judgement was pronounced with media personnel allowed inside the court room only with photo identity cards.

Meanwhile, the Kerala High court Thursday dismissed a petition by Naseer and other accused for a stay on the pronouncement of the judgement by the NIA court.

Dismissing the petition, a division bench comprising Justice V Ram Kumar and PQ Barkat Ali said, "we are not inclined to accept the submission made on behalf of the petitioners that the arguments with regard to the subject matter had been referred by the special court."

Such submission was denied by NIA counsel.

The bench held the judgement in the case after trial was the 'logical conclusion' and vacated the earlier stay imposed on pronouncement.

The accused have also filed a petition in the High Court, challenging the NIA decision to make Shafas an approver. A single judge Thursday referred the petition to a division bench.