The trial for last year’s 7/11 Mumbai serial train bombings, which killed 187 commuters and injured over 800 during the evening peak hour, will begin in the special MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) court here from December 18.
Thirteen, who are accused in the case, will stand the trial, while 15 others, including Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) chief Azam Cheema and his Pakistani accomplices, have been absconding.
The trial will be conducted by the designated judge Mrudula Bhatkar, who has been known for dealing with the infamous Jalgaon sex scandal. That was her first major trial as the sessions judge in Pune, in which she convicted the principal accused and even recommended perjury proceedings against those women victims who had retracted their statements in the court.
Among the 15 absconders, two are no longer alive. The main accused is Faisal Shaikh, who is considered to be the key conspirator. The prosecution's case is that the conspiracy was hatched between February 2006 and July 2006.