Mumbai : The Bombay High Court on Thursday admitted the appeals filed by two persons convicted recently under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) for the 2002-2003 multiple blasts and sentenced to ten years imprisonment.
A division bench of Justices N H Patil and A M Badar admitted the appeals filed by Ateef Mulla and Hasib Mulla challenging a special POTA court’s order convicting them in the blasts case and sentencing them to ten years. On the duo’s bail applications, the court issued notice to the Maharashtra government and posted it for hearing after two weeks. The duo in their appeal claimed that the trial court erred in law in convicting them on the basis of ‘unreliable, tainted and legally inadmissible evidence’ as the prosecution has miserably failed to adduce “cogent and sufficient independent evidence” to prove their involvement.
A local court had recently convicted eight others including conspirators Saquib Nachan and planter Muzameel Ansari for planning and executing triple blasts at Mumbai Central, Vile Parle and Mulund in 2002-2003.
