Mumbai court reserves order on making 4 more cops as accused in 2003 Khwaja Yunus custodial death case

The Mumbai sessions court, on Thursday, reserved its order regarding the 2003 Khwaja Yunus custodial death case. The order was reserved on the request of the Maharasthra CID to withdraw the application to make more policemen as accused in the case.

The Mumbai sessions court has reserved its order on the request of Maharashtra CID to withdraw its application to make four more policemen accused in the 2003 Khwaja Yunus custodial death case. The judge, VM Pathade, reserved the order and will pass it on September 7.

While the prosecution sought to withdraw the application, Yunus’s mother, Asiya Begum, filed the same application to make those four policemen accused in the case.

This was vehemently opposed by the special public prosecutor, Pradeep Gharat, as well as advocates Subhash Jha and Hare Krishna Mishra appearing for the four proposed accused.

On December 2, 2002, a bomb blast at Ghatkopar railway station killed two people. A few people, including Yunus, a 27-year-old software engineer, were arrested from Maharashtra's Parbhani district. However, according to police, Yunus escaped when the vehicle of the escort party turned turtle.

However, when the trial began, one of the prime witnesses, Mohammed Abdul Mateen, told the court that Yunus was brutally beaten up in the lockup by police officer Praful Bhosale and three others. Bhosle and three others were proposed to be made accused in the case. The then special public prosecutor, Dhiraj Mirajkar, had filed the application at that time.

Mirajkar was then unceremoniously removed from the case.

On Thursday, August 26, advocate Chetan Mali representing the victim Begum pointed to Supreme Court judgements and said that the apex court not just entertains the victim but directs the trial court to implicate the proposed accused.