A combination of file photo shows LeT handlers Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
MUMBAI: Mumbai Police on Thursday sought additional time from a special court to execute proclamation orders against six absconding accused, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) handlers Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, in the 2008 terror attack case. The court accepted the request and adjourned the matter to October 1. He sought 13 days’ time to submit a report on the execution of the proclamation orders, PTI reported. Under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, a proclaimed offender who has absconded to evade trial can be tried in absentia.
The police told the court that they were awaiting a response from the Ministry of Home Affairs before proceeding with the execution of the orders, according to news agency PTI. The special court had issued the proclamation orders in July to facilitate the trial in absentia of Saeed and the other absconding accused. At the previous hearing, the police had informed the court that they had approached the Union Home Ministry seeking necessary steps to serve the proclamation orders through Interpol on the accused who are in Pakistan.
Special prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told the court on Thursday that the police had not yet received a response from the ministry.