Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association (JTSA) welcomed the acquittal of Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin in the recent verdict of 26/11 terror cases. In a statement JTSA said that the verdict by Mumbai Special Court has upheld what was being discussed in democratic circles for long – that Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin had been framed. The court found no evidence against them and the witnesses proved unreliable – echoing the defence’s claims that the witnesses were on the payrolls of the Mumbai police.
Judge M.L. Tahaliyani also censured the Mumbai Police for failing to control the terrorists at Cama Hospital itself, which would have considerably reduced the loss of life and property. This is significant considering that Vinita Kamte, widow of a slain ATS officer, had revealed on the basis of the logs of calls between ATS chief Hemant Karkare and the police control room, that Rakesh Maria repeatedly ignored the plea for reinforcements at the Cama Hospital. The same Rakesh Maria now presides over the Pune blasts investigations as the ATS chief. JTSA also demanded that Rakesh Maria be immediately removed from this position and all those guilty of fabricating evidence against Ansari and Sabahuddin be tried in the court of law so as to deter the investigating agencies from trying to falsely implicate innocents in terror cases.