HC rejects blast accused's plea against police custody

The Delhi High Court today dismissed a petition of suspected terrorists allegedly involved in the September 13 serial blasts in New Delhi, challenging their custodial interrogation beyond 15 days.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition of suspected terrorists allegedly involved in the September 13 serial blasts in New Delhi, challenging their custodial interrogation beyond 15 days.

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Justice Kailash Gambhir dismissed plea of Mohd Shakeel and Zeeshan Ahmed, who, along with three others have been arrested for allegedly carrying out the blasts in the capital.

Both the accused had on October 22 approached the court seeking to quash a trial court's order sending them to police custody till October 27.

Appearing for the family members of the accused, counsel Prashant Bhushan had contended that an accused can be detained for a maximum period of 15 days but the lower court had allegedly erred by extending their police custody beyond the period.

The petitioners had challenged the trail court's order of October 16 by which five suspected terrorists Mohammed Saif, Zeeshan Ahmad, Mohammed Shakeel, Zia-ur-Rehman and Saquib Nissar were remanded to 12 days' fresh police custody.

Zeeshan, 23, and Shakeel, 24, were arrested by the Delhi Police on September 19 and 20 respectively under suspicion of being involved in the serial bomb blasts and were twice remanded to police custody till October 16. Their police remand were further granted till October 27.

On October 27, all five accused were handed over to Gujarat police for their alleged involvement in the serial blasts in Ahmedabad.

Out of the five, Mohd Saif is at present in custody of Rajasthan police which are probing his alleged role in Jaipur serial blasts.

A series of blasts in the capital had claimed 26 lives and left scores others injured.