HMK opposes plea seeking release of Kovai blast accused

The division bench comprising Justice Nooty Rammohana Rao and Justice SM Subramaniam before whom the plea moved by K Gopinath, general secretary, HMK, came up for hearing ordered notice to Basha’s counsel returnable within a week. Gopinath submitted that the Habeas Corpus plea filed by life convict Basha’s daughter Mubeena is not maintainable and sought to dismiss the same.

He contended that the judicial committee headed by Justice PR Gopalakrishnan which probed the 1998 blasts that occurred in 11 places within Coimbatore City killing 60 people and injuring 300 persons had confirmed that Al-Umma was behind the blasts and the trial court had found Basha guilty of masterminding the blasts. 

Also noting that the sessions court meant for bomb blasts cases and subsequently the High Court had upheld his life sentence, he said the said accused was behind the death of so many innocent people and hence there is no necessity to entertain the plea for his early release.

Basha’s daughter in the HCP submitted that her father who was now 77 years old, is eligible for premature release under the scheme of Premature Release of Life Convicts dated November 10, 1994, since he had completed more than 22 years in prison.