Staff Reporter

Judgment given through video-conferencing

They were charged with waging war against the State

The order on the sentence reserved till Saturday

Bangalore: A special court in the city convicted 23 Deendar Anjuman activists for their involvement in the serial blasts that rocked churches during June-July 2000. This is the first time those accused of terrorist activities in the Sate have been convicted.

Judge S.M. Shivanagoudar found the 23 persons guilty in four cases of blasts in Bangalore, Gulbarga and Hubli. The judge said the activists of this banned organisation tried to do create an Islamic state in India.

“The attack is directly on the Constitution of India,” the judge said.

The names of the convicted persons are Hasnuzama, Shamshuzama, Sayed Abdul Khader Zilani (all brothers), Mohammed Ibrahim, Shaikh Hasham Ali, Mohammed Farook Ali, Abdul Rehman Saith, Mohammed Siddiqi, Abdul Habeeb, Shaikh Fardin Vali, Amanath Husain Mulla, Mohammed Giyasuddin, Mohammed Sharfuddin, Meerasab Koujalagi, Sayed Muneeruddin Mulla, Rishi Hiremath, Mohammed Akhil Ahmed, Basheer Ahmed, Mohammed Husain, Ijahar Baigh, Sayed Abbas Ali, Mohammed Khalid Choudhary and Sangli Basha.

The court has convicted them on charges of waging a war against the State (Section 121 of Indian Penal Code), conspiracy to wage a war (Section 121 A of IPC) and sedition (Section 124 A of IPC). Some of them were found guilty under the provisions of Explosives Act.

The names of the persons who have been acquitted are Mohammed Riyazuddin, Mohammed Jaffer, Ismail Akki and Ameer Hamza.

The special court tried cases registered for explosions at the churches in J.J. Nagar in Bangalore, Wadi in Gulbarga district and Keshavapur in Hubli. It tried one case with regard to a van blast that took place on July 10, 2000, near Minerva Mills in Magadi Road police station limits in Bangalore.

After planting explosives at St. Peter and Paul Church at J.J. Nagar, the accused were on their way to another church in a van.

While they were assembling the explosives, a blast took place near the Minerva Mills and two of the accused were killed on the spot.

The van blast provided vital clues and led to unearthing of the role of the Deendar Anjuman, which had its headquarters in Hyderabad.

Four police officials — M.B. Appanna, G.R. Hiremath, B. Mahantesh and V.S. D’Souza were involved in the investigation. As many as 27 activists from Bangalore, Hyderabad and Hubli were arrested.

It has not been smooth for the Special Court to conduct the trial since it started to function in 2005.

It was set up following the protest by the accused over the delay in commencement of the trial.

The Judge Mr. Shivanagoudar and Public Prosecutor H.N. Nilogal were among the few persons who received death threats.

The trial was conducted in the high security Bangalore Central Prison premises. Because of security reasons, Mr. Shivanagoudar pronounced the judgment on Friday through video conferencing from the 36th Additional City Sessions Court. There was heavy deployment of security in and around the court.

In the judgment that ran to 530 pages for each case, the judge observed that Hazarath Moulana Syed Siddique Qibala alias Siddique Deendar Channabasaveshwara, founder of Deendar Anjuman, had intention to Islamise the whole world including India. Apart from attempting covert acts, the accused held secret meetings and conducted jihadi activities to achieve the object. The accused had been convicted in Hyderabad, the judge noted. The Judge had reserved the order of sentence till Saturday, when he would hear the Public Prosecutor and the advocates for accused.

The court still retained the case against prime accused Syed Zia-ul-Hassan, the chief of the banned Deendar Anjuman, and his six sons, who were reported to be absconding.

Hassan, a resident of Mardhan in North-Western Frontier Province of Pakistan, and his six sons are named as an accused. On the request of the CBI, Interpol has issued a red-corner notice against Hassan and his sons.