‘Dar gaya tha’

Pathan, dressed nattily in a grey sweat-shirt, dark blue track pants and sneakers, told the TADA court he hadn’t appeared before the judge until now because he’d escaped to Dubai. ‘‘Dar gaya tha’’ (I was scared), he said, adding that his involvement in the blasts planning and execution was ‘‘minimal’’. Pathan had a non-bailable warrant issued against him on August 18, 1993. According to the CBI’s chargesheet in the case, he had recruited trainees for commando training in Pakistan.

Curiously, both Kaskar and Pathan told the respective courts that they had come to India of their own accord. The amused magistrate asked the Kaskar’s advocate how it was possible for his client to have arrived in India without a passport. The government had impounded Iqbal Kaskar’s passport in 1998, and Kaskar’s counter-plea is pending in the Supreme Court.

Judge P D Kode allowed Pathan to meet his Mumbai-based sister for 15 minutes twice during custody. Pathan requested the court to inform his wife Sarah Sayeed Zakir, who is in Dubai, of his arrest. ‘‘Mein thoda sa bolega. Hello, salam valleikum bolega, phir CBI walle bath kar sakte hain…’’ (I’ll just say hello, then the CBI investigators can speak to her) he pleaded.

Kaskar’s counsel complained that his client had not been offered food by the Mumbai police, since the earlier night. The magistrate asked the accused, ‘‘Iqbal, kya tumne khaana nahi khaya?’’ (have you not eaten?) Kaskar replied in the negative. The police later said the accused had himself chosen to eat after appearing in court. The barefoot Kaskar was then escorted by three police jeeps to the lock-up at the Police headquarters at Crawford Market.