Court likely to pronounce verdict in Batla house encounter

A Delhi court is likely to pronounce tomorrow its verdict on the controversial 2008 Batla House police encounter case in which lone suspected Indian Mujahideen operative Shahzad Ahmad has been facing trial.
Additional Sessions Judge Rajender Kumar Shastri had on July 20 reserved the judgement after conclusion of final arguments by the prosecution and the defence.
During the trial, the prosecution examined 70 witnesses, including six eye-witnesses who were part of the raiding team of Delhi Police Special Cell.
In its final arguments, the prosecution had contended that it has sufficient circumstantial evidence and phone records to prove that Shahzad was present in the Jamia Nagar flat in Batla House and was among those who had fired at the police team leading to the death of Delhi Police inspector M C Sharma.

It had said that Shahzad, along with another accused Junaid, had jumped off the balcony and fled after firing at the police team during the September 19, 2008 Batla House encounter.
The counsel, appearing for Shahzad, however, had claimed that he was not present in the flat in which the alleged shootout took place.

The defence had claimed that as per ballistic reports, the bullets found in the slain police officer's body matched the gun seized from the spot and not from the weapon which was allegedly retrieved from Shahzad's possession when he was arrested.
It was contended on his behalf that none of the witnesses had given any description of the occupants of the flat.

Shahzad is said to be one of the occupants of the flat in Jamia Nagar where the encounter took place on September 19, 2008 between the officers of the Special Cell and the suspected IM terrorists allegedly involved in the September 13, 2008 serial blasts at Karol Bagh, Connaught Place, Greater Kailash and India Gate left 26 dead and 133 injured.