Lawyers of accused in train, temple blasts cases want to withdraw

The perpetrators of the November 21 serial blasts in Uttar Pradesh had targeted the courts to “teach a lesson to the lawyers” who were refusing to represent the accused in terrors attacks. But the result turned out just the opposite, with the lawyers hardening their stand.

Not only has the Lucknow Bar Association resolved to cancel the membership of anyone representing terrorists, two lawyers representing the accused in Shramjeevi Express blast and the Sankat Mochan temple blast in Varanasi, have applied to withdraw their representations. The first application reached the Ghaziabad court on November 23 itself. The applicant was Abid Ali, lawyer of Waliullah, prime accused in the Varanasi twin blasts of March 7, 2006. Deepak Dey, lawyer of Obaid-ur-Rehman, one of the seven accused in the Shramjeevi Express blast of July 7, 2005, moved his application in the Jaunpur court on November 25. Dey said: “The recent serial blasts are the main reason behind my decision. If they (terrorists) are not even sparing us, why should we defend them?” “Another reason behind the decision was the death of my close friend Bhola Nath Singh, a senior lawyer, who suffered injuries in the blast and later died at a Varanasi hospital,” he said.

Rehman is at present lodged at the Jaunpur District Jail.

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Abid Ali told The Indian Express from Ghaziabad: “I will inform Waliullah of my decision on December 5.”

Members of the Lucknow Bar Association too, have decided against arguing the cases of suspected terrorists.

Lucknow Bar Association president C L Dixit said: “The Association has passed a resolution to remove the names of all those who take up the case of any alleged terrorist.”

Several other lawyers pursuing the cases of suspected terrorists have now decided not to represent them without intervention of the families.

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Advocate Qazi Sabih-ur-Rehman, who is fighting cases of two alleged terrorists lodged in the Lucknow District Jail, said: “We will talk to the family because we need additional information for the decision.” Senior lawyer A M Fareedi, fighting the cases of five suspected terrorists, said, “I have decided to appear only if there are loopholes in the police report, or if the family members of the accused approach me personally.”

Meanwhile, Aslam Siddiqui, public prosecutor in the Varanasi case, has complained of receiving threatening calls from unidentified persons.