Twin blast case: Court to announce verdict today

The much-awaited verdict on the twin-blasts at Gokul Chat and Lumbini Park eleven years ago will be pronounced by the Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court on Tuesday at a special courtroom set up in Cherlapally Central Prison.The court has decided to give the verdict on the premises of the special court at the high-security jail, where the five arrested accused have been confined for the last three years.

The blasts that took place on August 25, 2007 claimed the lives of 43 persons and badly injured another 68 persons. Following the investigation, OCTOPUS, the counter intelligence wing of the Telangana Police, arrested five persons — Anique Shareef Sayeed, Farooq Sharfuddin Tarkish, Mohammed Sadiq Israr Shaikh, Mohammed Tariq Anjum Ahsan and Akber Ismail Choudhary. Tariq was charged with providing shelter to the other accused. Three other accused — Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal and Amer Reza Khan — are still at large.