Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act court to pass judgment on June 6

The Special Court on Friday reserved its order in connection with two accused of carrying out a terror attack on Akshardham Temple that killed 30 people in 2002. The accused — Shaukatulla Ghori and Majid Patel — were arrested under Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act (Pota) after the special court delivered its verdict in the case in July 2006.

Patel was arrested from Bharuch in 2008 and Ghori while boarding a flight from Hyderabad. Both were living in the Gulf at the time of the attack. They were charged with hatching conspiracy and providing funds to carry out the attack. Special prosecutor in the case submitted before special POTA judge Geeta Gopi that as the apex court had acquitted the other six accused in the case and did not uphold their confessions, disbelieved statements of the main witness, these two accused, too, could be released. Hearing the arguments, the judge reserved her order and fixed June 6 as the next date of hearing.

On May 16, criticising police for shoddy investigation, the SC acquitted all six in the case and set aside the judgments of the Pota court and the Gujarat high court by which three persons were sentenced to death.