Court grants police 10-day custody of accused in Kochi blast case
Kochi (PTI): A court in Kerala on Monday granted the police ten days custody of the lone accused in the Kochi bomb blast case.
Principal Session Court Judge Honey M Varghese allowed the police's plea for 10-day custody of Dominic Martin.
Four people were killed and over 50 were injured in the blast during a prayer meeting of the Jehovah's Witnesses at a convention center in Kalamassery near here on October 29.
The police submitted that they need to investigate his sources of income, international connections, and other related matters.
They also said that the accused must be taken to certain locations for further collection of evidence.
Meanwhile, Martin once again declined the assistance of a legal aid lawyer.
Previously, on October 31, Martin was remanded to judicial custody.
In addition to Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (Punishment for murder) and Section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act, relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) have also been invoked against the accused.
The police formally recorded Martin's arrest as he had surrendered a few hours after the blasts on October 29.
A few hours prior to surrendering, Martin, who claimed to be an estranged member of the Jehovah's Witnesses, posted a video on social media explaining his reasons for carrying out the blasts.
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Dubai, May 19: A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi suffered a “hard landing” on Sunday, Iranian state television reported, without immediately elaborating.
Raisi was travelling in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. State TV described the area of the incident happening as being near Jolfa, a city on the border with with the nation of Azerbaijan, some 600 kilometres (375 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran.
Raisi had been in Azerbaijan early Sunday to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev. The dam is the third one that the two nations built on the Aras River.
Iran flies a variety of helicopters in the country, but international sanctions make it difficult to obtain parts for them. Its military air fleet also largely dates back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Raisi, 63, is a hard-liner who formerly led the country's judiciary. He is viewed as a protégé of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some analysts have suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after his death or resignation from the role.
