Stay lifted, but Abu Jundal trial restart hits admin roadblocks

Even though the Bombay High Court has lifted the stay on the trial against Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal for his role as a 26/11 terror attack handler, the proceedings may take some time to resume over administrative issues.

- Charul Shah Joshi

The court that originally heard the case before the stay order is now designated as a special court for cases involving MPs and MLAs. The case has since been transferred to a different court, which functions as a special court for corruption cases.

On Monday, when the case was taken up, special public prosecutor Ujwal Nikam told the court that since the case falls under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and was investigated by the state, and because the state has now sought a notification to set up a special UAPA court, the hearing must be adjourned. The special judge accepted this submission and postponed the matter to December 8 for further compliance.