‘Jaish operative’ who was found innocent after 7 years of trial

NEW DELHI: On October 14, 2006, suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad operative Raju alias Parvez Admad Radoo was arrested at Azadpur market, allegedly with explosives and

NEW DELHI: On October 14, 2006, suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad operative Raju alias Parvez Admad Radoo was arrested at Azadpur market, allegedly with explosives and Rs 10 lakh cash.

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He was acquitted in 2013 as the court punched holes in the case. Police failed to prove that Parvez was a JeM member. Police officials also contradicted themselves about the colour of the bag which contained the cash. One officer said the cash were kept in thermocol while another said it was wrapped in clothes. A forensic laboratory report said there were no wires with the explosives as claimed by police.

The last nail was the police claim that they went to Pune in October 2006 to trace a suspect but all shops were closed due to Basant Panchami. The court said the festival is not celebrated in October.

The case was among several similar incidents highlighted by the Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association in a book titled Framed Damned, Acquitted: Dossiers of a ‘Very’ Special Cell.

Though Kazmi’s case was not in the book, his arrest was noticed by Mehmood Pracha, who was a successful corporate lawyer at that time.

“Kazmi’s case made me realise that of a person like him can be arrested then what about others. I started looking for other cases and at this point of time I have 25-30 terror cases under me (now),” said Pracha who has made it his life’s mission to provide legal help to people allegedly framed in false cases.

Kazmi’s case, he says, is not an isolated one. He is just one of the few who got bail.

The lawyer says there are many others who are in jail for 10 years while their trials are still on. Most of them are poor, illiterate and unaware of their rights and few organisations help in highlighting their case.

“I travel to Jaipur, Pune and Mumbai to fight the cases. In one case, I have managed acquittal while in few cases I have filed for bail. If a person is acquitted after 14 years like Mohammed Amir, there is no value of acquittal. I fight for speedy trial,” Pracha adds.