Now Reading: Mumbai Police seek Interpol help to try Hafiz Saeed in absentia
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Mumbai Police seek Interpol help to try Hafiz Saeed in absentia
The Mumbai Police have asked the Union home ministry to use Interpol to serve court proclamation orders on six Pakistani nationals wanted for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The move is part…
The Mumbai Police have asked the Union home ministry to use Interpol to serve court proclamation orders on six Pakistani nationals wanted for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The move is part of a process to try the accused in absentia, allowing an Indian court to proceed even if they remain outside the country.
The six include Lashkar-e-Taiba founders Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, along with Sajid Mir, Abu Alqama, Asim alias Abu Qahafa and Major Abdur Rehman Pasha. Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told the special court on Friday that the home ministry had acknowledged the request on August 3 and is examining next steps.
The trial in absentia is based on Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. The court issued proclamation orders in July after the six were declared proclaimed offenders. The 26/11 attacks in 2008 killed 166 people, and only one attacker, Ajmal Kasab, was captured alive and later hanged.
Indian Opinion Analysis
This is not the first time India has sought to prosecute absconding Pakistani nationals. In 2018, an Indian court sentenced Hafiz Saeed to life in absentia for a 2007 blast case, but that verdict had no practical effect. What is different now is the legal basis: Section 356 of the new criminal procedure code, which explicitly allows full trials without the accused present. For the families of 166 victims, this could mean closure without depending on Pakistan's cooperation. The key hurdle remains Interpol's willingness to serve notice to individuals Islamabad has never acknowledged as criminals. The next date to watch is when the home ministry files its status report in court, expected within weeks.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
