New Delhi: Defence counsel for Muzammil Shakeel and Shaheen Saeed, two of the 11 accused in Red Fort blast case, told a Delhi court that neither had any role in purchasing the car used in the attack nor communicated with the co-accused. The court was hearing arguments on framing of charges in in-camera proceedings.Special Judge (NIA) Prashant Sharma heard submissions on behalf of Shakeel and Saeed and listed the matter for Nov 17 to hear arguments for another accused, Shoaib.A car exploded near Red Fort on Nov 10, 2025, killing several people and injuring many others.Senior advocate Madhav Khaurana, special public prosecutor representing National Investigation Agency (NIA), argued that there was sufficient material to frame charges against all the accused, including evidence of a conspiracy. The agency alleged that Umar Un Nabi was in a panic after learning of the arrest of his associates from Al Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana.Appearing for Shakeel and Saeed, advocate M S Khan, along with advocates Rahul Sahani and Zahbi Tihami, disputed their alleged involvement in the conspiracy. Khan pointed out that Shakeel had been arrested by Jammu & Kashmir Police on Oct 29, while Saeed was arrested in Lucknow on Nov 9, a day before the blast.The defence argued that the car used by Umar Un Nabi in the blast had been purchased from a Faridabad dealer on Oct 30 and registered in the name of Amir Rashid. Shakeel, who was already in custody by then, had neither facilitated nor financed the purchase, it submitted.Khan further argued that Shakeel did not figure in CCTV footage that allegedly showed Umar Un Nabi, Amir Rashid and another accused, Jasir Bilal Wani. He questioned how Shakeel could have communicated with the co-accused when there was no evidence of such communication.The defence also questioned how either Shakeel or Saeed could be linked to the conspiracy, given their respective arrest dates.NIA filed a charge sheet against 11 accused, including Umar Un Nabi, on June 4 after completing its investigation. Umar Un Nabi died in the blast. The agency later filed a supplementary chargesheet against two other accused.
