The trial in the 2006 Kozhikode twin blast case began on Tuesday at a CBI special court in Kochi with the accused being handed over copies of documents, including charge sheet.
Earlier, the prime accused and suspected Laskhar-e-Taiba operative T. Nazir and his accomplice Shafaz, who is also accused in 2008 Bangalore serial blast case, were brought from Karnataka amid tight security and produced in the court in Kochi by the National Investigating Agency, which is probing terror cases in Kerala.
Two other accused were also produced in the court and Special Judge S. Vijay Kumar posted the case to December 2 for framing of charges.
The judge ordered that Nazir and Shafaz be lodged in Viyoor Central Jail. Following submission by Nazeer that he feared for his life in Kerala jails and should be sent back to Bangalore, the judge directed the jail authorities to provide necessary protection to both the accused.
The court also directed that the two should not be transferred to Bangalore jail without the court’s permission.
On November 11, the court had directed the police chiefs of Kerala and Karnataka to provide sufficient police protection to bring the two to Kerala. The NIA had earlier submitted it was unable to produce them due to security reasons as they do not have police personnel.
The NIA had filed a charge sheet against eight persons in the case on August 2 last, listing Nazir as the first accused.
Two other accused are absconding and have been declared proclaimed offenders. While one accused was killed in an encounter with security forces trying to cross the India-Pakistan border for getting arms training in Pakistan, another had later turned approver.
The case relates to twin bomb blasts in Kozhikode — at the KSRTC bus stand and at a mofussil bus stand in which two policemen and a porter were injured.
