HC nod for special court to try blast cases

By Our Staff Correspondent

NELOGI (Gulbarga dt.), DEC. 23. The Home Minister, Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge, today said that the High Court had agreed to set up a special court to try cases pertaining to bomb blasts in Bangalore, Hubli and Gulbarga.

In a brief chat with presspersons here, Mr. Kharge said the special court would start functioning after the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, Mr. Justice P.V. Reddi, appointed a Judge.

The proposed special court would deal only with the blast cases on a day-to-day basis. The special court would be established in Bangalore for administrative reasons. The cases registered in the courts in Hubli and Chitapur in Gulbarga district would be transferred to it, he said.

Mr. Kharge said Mr. Justice Reddi had responded positively to the request made by the Law Department for establishing a special court. Asked whether the State Government would press the Centre for the extradition of the three main accused in the blast cases from Pakistan, Mr. Kharge said the State Government had provided details pertaining to the three accused to the Centre and it was the responsibility of the Centre to move the extradition proceedings.

On whether the State was happy with the Centre's response to its request, Mr. Kharge said: ``I do not know what the Union Government was doing on the request of the State Government. The Central authorities do not discuss such issues on day-to-day basis with the State.''

Mr. Kharge said there was no fixed agenda for a meeting with the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, in Bangalore on Sunday. It would be a courtesy call. Asked whether the issue of seeking extradition of the three accused in the blast cases would be discussed with Mr. Advani, he said: ``If the issue crops up, we will discuss it.''

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Section  : Southern States
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