Eleven years since advocate Shahid Azmi was killed

It has been 11 years since advocate Shahid Azmi was killed in his workplace for representing shoppers he believed to be falsely implicated in terror crimes. However, solely three witnesses out of 107 have been examined and cross-examined in his personal homicide trial.

On February 11, 2010, Azmi was dwelling at round 8 p.m. when his workplace boy informed him that some shoppers had been ready for him at his workplace. Upon reaching his workplace, he noticed two males ready inside his cabin and two others ready within the outdoors space. Azmi referred to as the opposite two in they usually shot him. The workplace boy instantly ran and referred to as his mom to the workplace. She, together with others, took Azmi to a hospital the place he was declared “brought dead”.

The accused — Devendera Jagptap, Pintu Dagale, Vinod Vichare and Hasmukh Solanki — had been arrested on the identical day. While Mr. Jagtap and Mr. Solanki are in jail, the opposite two accused are out on bail.

Azmi was representing many accused within the 7/11 prepare blasts instances, Malegaon 2006 bomb blasts instances, the Aurangabad arms haul case, and the Ghatkopar blasts case. Hansal Mehta’s 2013 movie Shahid starring Rajkummar Rao is predicated on the life and work of Azmi

His brother, advocate Khalid Azmi mentioned, “Shahid received many death threats on calls, and he had also written to the Kurla Police Station and the then Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court judge about it. He had also tried to meet the then Commissioner of Police and seek protection. But my brother was unheard.”

Talking concerning the trial, Public Prosecutor Vaibhav Bagade informed The Puucho, “The trial started in December 2018 before Judge U.M. Padwad. The complainant, an eyewitness and two panch witnesses have been examined and we are awaiting cross examination. Although the trial had to be stalled because of COVID-19, the next date is February 15.”

Mr. Khalid Azmi mentioned there had been a delay in conducting the trial as a result of the accused stored submitting bail functions.

All the 4 accused have been charged underneath Sections 302 (homicide), 120B (felony conspiracy), 452 (house-trespass after preparation for damage, assault) of the Indian Penal Code, together with Sections 3 (licence for acquisition and possession of firearms and ammunition), 25 (punishment for sure offences) and 27 (punishment for utilizing arms, and so forth.) of the Arms Act.

On Thursday, there would be the Fourth Advocate Shahid Azmi Memorial Lecture titled, ‘Justice in Indian Judiciary’ organised by the Innocence Network, an organisation devoted to offering professional bono authorized and investigative companies to people in search of to show their innocence of crimes.