SC stays proceedings against blasts acccused in Gujarat

The Supreme Court today stayed all proceedings initiated in Gujarat against the 63 accused persons in cases relating to a series of bomb blasts that had occurred across the country in 2008.

A Bench comprising justice Altamas Kabir and justice TS Thakur issued a notice to the Gujarat government on the plea of all the accused seeking transfer of the cases outside the state to ensure fair trial.

"There is threat to the safety of the accused and their right to a free, fair and unbiased trial in Gujarat," the petition filed on their behalf by advocate Prashant Bhushan said.

The accused arrested from different parts of the country sought that they be shifted to jails outside Gujarat alleging they were being subjected to the torture by the police as well as jail authorities.

"Unless petitioners are transferred out of Gujarat and Sabarmati Jail, they seriously apprehend danger to their lives. There have already been several instances of police and jail atrocities against them," Bhushan said.

The petitioner has sought the transfer of cases out of Gujarat for alleged bias by the police as well as the judicial machinery in the state.

The accused are currently being held in custody in Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat in connection with the blasts that took place in many of the major cities including Delhi, Bombay, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Bangalore, over a period of a few months, killing many and injuring several others.