2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blast case: Newspaper, collective prayers, skull cap: Court rejects requests by blast convict

Lodged at Bhopal Central Jail at present, Hafizhusain recently approached an Ahmedabad sessions court, designated for speedy trial of serial blast cases, with four special requests. He had also sought permission to be kept in an open cell from sunrise to sunset, instead of being locked up in a solitary cell.

On the request for collective prayers, the Bhopal jail authority submitted in the court that if prisoners are permitted to collectively pray on Friday then “there will be a threat to security and a prisoner can run away”. At present, the authorities also added, every prisoner is offering Friday prayers in their respective cells; and with a single wall between every cell, prisoners can listen to each other during such prayers.

On access to newspapers, the jail authorities submitted before the court that while the jail authorities provide newspaper reading facilities in the jail for 50 prisoners with good behaviour, there is no provision in the jail manual to provide separate newspapers to each cell.

While objecting to the request for wearing a skull cap, the jail authorities cited the jail manual provisions to point out that Sikhs are allowed to wear turbans, as listed in the provisions. “….For Muslim prisoners there is no provision to wear religious cap instead of (a) cap of jail dress,” the authorities said while adding that Muslim prisoners are, however, “allowed to keep Roza, offer prayers, exempted from hair cut, shaving” and “also permitted to keep (the holy book) Quran with them.”

The court of specially designated judge Hareshkumar Himmatlal Thakkar rejected Hafizhusai’s plea, taking into account the remarks of the Bhopal jail authority.

The court also considered that the Hafizhusain is involved in a very serious offence, for which “security concern (is) also required to (be) looked (at) by the jail authority.” The court termed the prisoner’s request as “wrong and illegal demands”.

Notably, in February 2013, 14 accused in the 2008 serial bomb blasts, had allegedly dug a 213-feet long tunnel inside the barracks of Sabarmati Central Jail to escape from prison.