7/11 blast accused withdraws PIL in fake encounter case

Ehtesham Siddiqui,an accused in the 7/11 serial train blasts,withdrew his public interest litigation (PIL) on Tuesday,in which he had sought an inquiry into an alleged fake encounter in 2006.

Siddiqui raised the issue of the death of one Mohammad Ali and sought a judicial inquiry into the matter. He claimed that he saw Ali in the custody of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad a day before he was killed.

Ali,who was suspected to be a Pakistani militant,was shot dead in Wadala in August 2006. The judges hearing the PIL asked him to approach the police or file a complaint with the magistrate before approaching the High Court.

In the previous hearing,the court also questioned why Siddiqui approached the court after a gap of more than five years.