NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 14: Two accused in the November 2025 Red Fort blast case, Muzammil Shakeel and Shaheen Saeed, on Saturday denied their involvement in the alleged conspiracy, arguing before a Delhi court that there was no evidence linking them to the attack.
OrderCalendarsThe arguments were presented before Special Judge (NIA) Prashant Sharma at the Rouse Avenue Court during a hearing on the framing of charges. The proceedings were held in a closed courtroom.
Defence counsel argued that neither of the accused was connected to the purchase of the car used in the blast or had any communication with the other accused persons.
The blast occurred near the Red Fort on November 10, 2025, when a car exploded, killing several people and injuring many others.
Advocate M S Khan, along with Advocates Rahul Sahani and Zahbi Tihami, represented the accused. They submitted that the two men had no role in the conspiracy behind the attack.
According to the defence, Muzammil Shakeel was arrested by Jammu and Kashmir Police on October 29, 2025, while Shaheen Saeed was arrested from Lucknow on November 9, a day before the blast.
The counsel argued that the vehicle used by Umar Un Nabi in the explosion was purchased from a Faridabad-based car dealer on October 30 and was registered in the name of Amir Rashid.
They maintained that Muzammil Shakeel neither facilitated nor financed the purchase of the vehicle and was not visible in the CCTV footage cited in the investigation. According to the defence, the footage showed Umar Un Nabi, Amir Rashid and another accused, Jasir Bilal Wani.
The defence also questioned how the two accused could have been part of the conspiracy when, according to their submission, they were already in custody before the blast took place.
Opposing the defence arguments, Senior Advocate Madhav Khaurana, appearing as Special Public Prosecutor for the National Investigation Agency (NIA), submitted that sufficient material and evidence existed to frame charges against all the accused. He maintained that the investigation had established a conspiracy among them.
The prosecution also alleged that Umar Un Nabi was under pressure after learning about the arrest of his associates from Al Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana.
The NIA had filed a chargesheet on June 4 against 11 accused, including Umar Un Nabi, after completing its investigation. Un Nabi died in the blast. A supplementary chargesheet was subsequently filed against two additional accused.
The court has scheduled November 17 for hearing arguments on behalf of another accused, Shoaib.
