HC denies permission to 7/11 serial train blast convict to appear for LLB exam

The court said that there was little time for the prison authorities to provide Siddiqui with an escort at such a short notice and bring him to Mumbai in a day

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Wednesday rejected the temporary bail application of 7/11 train blasts case convict Ehtesham Siddiqui seeking permission to appear for the third semester exam of the LLB course scheduled from February 2 to 8.

Mumbai, India - Sept. 30, 2015 : 7/11 train serial bomb blasts arrested accused EHTESHAM KUTUBUDDIN SIDDIQUI both got death sentence step out of Arthur Road Jail in heavy police protection for their verdict at MCOCA court at the city civil and Sessions Court in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, September 30, 2015. (Photo by Vijayanand Gupta/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Siddiqui had started pursuing the three-year course from Siddharth Law College and had completed his first-year studies before he was sentenced to death in October 2015, along with four others, for their involvement in the bomb blasts. He was then transferred to Nagpur Central jail, where he is currently lodged.

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The court said that there was little time for the prison authorities to provide him with an escort at such a short notice and bring him to Mumbai in a day, and therefore, he should follow proper procedure to be able to appear in the next round of the exams.

The division bench of justice Nitin Sambre and justice R N Laddha, which was hearing the application, was informed by special public prosecutor Avdhoot Chimalkar that Siddiqui could not be granted permission as he had to first get the approval of the deputy inspector general (DIG), Prisons and only then, Siddiqui could approach the HC.

Chimalkar showed the bench a February 11, 2022 notification of the home department which stipulated that prisoners had to follow the above procedure. The bench accepted the submissions and held that even if they granted permission, it would not be possible for the jail authorities to arrange an escort and bring him to Mumbai.

Siddiqui, along with four others, were given the death sentence by the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA) court in October 2015. The confirmation case is pending before the HC since 2019. The seven blasts in local trains on the western railway line had resulted in the death of 189 persons and had left 824 injured.

After coming to know about the dates of the exams, Siddiqui had contacted the college, which had said it would permit him to appear for the exams provided the court allowed it.