Court acquits three suspected SIMI activists

Mumbai, Oct 23 (PTI) A local court today acquitted three persons, who were arrested on suspicion of being members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). "The court today acquitted three persons-- Sajid Ansari, his brother Khalid Ansari and Irshad Khan (former state president of SIMI), for lack of evidence," defence lawyer Sherif Sheikh said. Sajid is also an accused in the 2006 train blasts, he said. Two first information reports (FIRs) had been registered against the accused, one for giving provocative speeches and the other for distributing pamphlets outside a mosque in suburban Mumbai, he said. The trio, arrested in 2001, had been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the lawyer said. The prosecution's case was that the accused had organised a gathering outside a mosque and given provocative speeches. Sheikh said the prosecution examined 12 witnesses, out of which, three turned hostile. "There was no recovery shown and no documentary proof available to prove the allegation," Sheikh said adding that policemen had given contradictory evidences. Accepting Sheikh's argument the court, acquitted all the three accused for lack of evidence and prosecution's failure to prove the case against them. PTI VI NP HKS BSM