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.According to news agency PTI, 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.The court accepted the request and adjourned the matter to October 1.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. 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 six accused against whom the court has issued proclamation orders are Hafiz Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Sajid Mir, Abu Alqama, Asim alias Abu Qahafa and Major Abdur Rehman Pasha.Their alleged roles in the conspiracy behind the terror attack were revealed by Ajmal Kasab and accused-turned-approver David Headley.Kasab, the only Pakistani terrorist captured alive during the attack, was sentenced to death and hanged at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune on November 21, 2012.The November 2008 Mumbai terror attack claimed the lives of 166 people, including six Americans. Ten Pakistani terrorists attacked iconic locations across Mumbai, triggering mayhem that continued for more than 60 hours.(With agency inputs)
