Bangalore: In a dramatic development the 11 terror suspects, who were arrested in 2012 and chargesheeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in February this year on terror conspiracy charges in a letter have alleged that they have been falsely “framed... for some political benefit” and fearing a long drawn trial, they have decided to hire the services of the top-notch criminal lawyer Hashmat Pasha, who has “agreed to take up the case” for a hefty fee running into lakhs of rupees.
Pasha was the counsel of former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in the land denotification case.
In a letter, a copy of which is in the possession of Deccan Chronicle, to the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) – the not-for-profit oragnisation, which reached out to them and their families with legal help and moral support soon after their arrest, the young terror accused have expressed their displeasure with the free services rendered by the Association and have asked them to raise funds for Pasha’s fees.
“Finance is our major concern as many families come from economically poor background… We do expect moral and financial help from the APCR,” stated Ubedullah Rehman (Accused no. 8 and under trial prisoner 9446) in his letter on behalf of the other co-accused.
The 11 terror suspects, arrested from Bengaluru, Hubli, Hyderabad and Nanded by the Central Crime Branch, City police and Andhra Pradesh police are lodged in judicial custody at the Central Prison at Parapanna Agrahara.
On November 11 Ubedullah wrote to the APCR and stated that they are the victims of the Association’s infighting, internal politics and “weak” legal aid and questioned the competence of the APCR lawyer and secretary Akmal Razvi – a civil lawyer – in “handling a terror case.” In their letter the accused informed the APCR of their decision to switch lawyers and asked them to raise funds for them.
The case is “completely framed and the NIA also knows it very well, but due to some political benefit these arrests and jail terms are going on at regular intervals in our country.
We expect moral and financial help from the APCR,” stated the letter signed by the accused – Shoaib Ahmed Mirza (A1), Abdul Hakeem Jamdar (A2), Riyaz Ahmed Byahatti (A4), Mohammed Akram (A7), Ubedullah Bahadur (A8), Obaid-ur-Rahman Harris (A14), Sadiq Lashkar (A11), Mehboob Bagalkot (A12), Nayueem Siddique (A15).
Razvi said in the absence of a judge in the special NIA court, the case has not come up for hearing.
