Train blasts: Accused uses RTI to put prosecution in spot

In a move that may leave the police and Maharashtra government red-faced, an accused in the July 2006 Mumbai train blasts case has come up with information through RTI to show that some prosecution witnesses were lying, and some of them were facing criminal cases themselves.

Accused Ethesham Siddiqui, during his examination by the defence lawyers, told the special MCOCA court on Tuesday that he learnt through Right to Information Act that one of the prosecution witnesses was facing three criminal cases.

Another witness had said that he had not conducted any test identification parade after the parade was held in this case. However, RTI revealed that the witness had conducted another test identification parade, Siddiqui said.

One of the witnesses was frequently produced as a panch witness by Crime Branch, CID, etc, indicating that he was "a professional witness", Siddiqui said.

Another RTI response revealed that a witness had lied in the records. The register of high-security `anda' cell at a Mumbai prison showed there was a mention by this witness, a police officer, that Siddiqui was taken out for identification parade on November 7 and 8, 2006, at about 1.15 or 1.30 pm for 35 minutes.

However, police station diary showed that Ethesham was taken out at 12.35 pm and returned at 12.40 pm. This entry had been made in Siddiqui's presence, he said.