A court on Tuesday held two accused guilty in the 2007 Hyderabad twin bomb blasts which had claimed 42 lives. Two other accused were acquitted while the fate of a fifth accused will be decided next week.
The Second Metropolitan Sessions Court held Anique Shafiq Syed and Akbar Ismail Choudhary, both alleged operative of Indian Mujahideen (IM) guilty. The quantum of punishment will be announced on September 10.
Farooq Sharfuddin and Sadiq Ahmed Sheikh were acquitted for lack of evidence.
Public Prosecutor Seshu Reddy told reporters that the verdict in the case relating to fifth accused Tariq Anjum will be pronounced on Monday.
The near simultaneous bomb blasts at Gokul Chat, a popular eatery, and at Lumbini Park, near the State Secretariat, also injured over 50 on August 25, 2007.
An unexploded bomb was also recovered under a foot-over bridge at Dilsukhnagar.
On August 27, Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge T Srinivas Rao had postponed the judgment in the case to September 4.
The Counter Intelligence (CI) wing of the Telangana Police had investigated the case and arrested five accused, all alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives.
The agency had filed four charge sheets against the five accused and also named two other absconding accused, Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal.
Those arrested -- Mohammed Akbar Ismail Chowdhari, Aneeq Shafique Sayeed, Farooq Sharfuddin Tarkash, Mohammed Sadiq Israr Ahmed Shaik and Tarik Anjum -- were produced before the court on August 27 through video conferencing from Cherlapalli Central Prison, where they are currently lodged.
The trial against five accused in the case was shifted to a court hall located on the premises of Cherlapalli Central Prison from a court located in Nampally Court complex in June this year.
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 on August 25, 2007, and also with regard to the recovery of an unexploded bomb found under a footover bridge at Dilsuknagar area in Hyderabad.
According to the prosecution, Aneeq Shafique Sayeed allegedly planted the bomb at Lumbini Park while Riyaz Bhatkal planted the bomb at Gokul Chat while the unexploded bomb was planted by Ismail Chowdhari.
(With PTI inputs)
