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Civil rights leaders object to "sudden" Lucknow court order on Nov 2007 blast

By A Representative
Senior civil rights activists of Uttar Pradesh, including Rihai Manch chief Mohammad Shoeb, former UP IG SR Darapuri, prominent social worker Arundhati Dhuru and Magsasay award winning scholar-activist and Sandeep Pandey, and advocate Andhir Singh Suman have taken strong exception to the manner in which a Lucknow court passed its order on the two persons accused of involvement in the 11-year-old Lucknow blast case, in which serial bombs ripped in Lucknow and other major cities of UP. The blasts took place on November 23, 2007.
Addressing media at the Lucknow press club, Shoeb said that things turned particularly mysterious because the judge, without hearing the two sides, declared the two persons accused in the blast as guilty, leaving the jail court room, saying the next hearing on August 27 would be on punishment to be meted out them. Earlier, he added, another judge, who was about to give his judgment on the case, was summarily transferred. “The decision has been influenced by the Anti-Terrorist Squad”, he alleged.
Darapuri and Pandey pointed fingers at Brijlal, UP SC-ST commission chief and former DG, law and order, saying, he had “no right to issue a statement” on the case, as he was one of those who was found guilty by the RD Nimesh Commission of inquiry into the blast. The commission, they said, had found Brijlal, along with others, "responsible" for wrongfully arresting several youths for the blast. Worse, a case is going on, on him for the mysterious custodial death of one of those arrested for the blast.

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