Study material for train blast accused: Government seeks time

New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) The government on Monday informed the Delhi High Court that it needed more time to decide on providing study material and publications on homoeopathy free of cost in jail to a prime accused in the 2006 Mumbai serial train blasts.

Justice Rajeev Shakdher posted the matter for May 15 after the central government sought four weeks to respond to the issue.

The court had earlier sought to know from the central and city governments why they could not provide publications on homoeopathy free of cost in jail to the accused.

Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddiqui had written a letter to the high court, which was converted into a public interest litigation, seeking direction that he be provided 45 publications on homoeopathy free of cost in jail for studying as he was too poor to afford them.

One of the prime accused in the Mumbai train blasts of 2006, in which seven bombs kept in first class coaches of Mumbai's suburban trains and at railway stations killed 187 people, Siddiqui has been in jail since 2006.

Siddiqui had sought copies of books published by the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH), Delhi under the Right to Information Act to study but the council refused on the ground that these were "priced publications" and hence could not be given free. His request for soft copies was also turned down, citing copyright laws.

After his pleas to the CCRH and the Central Information Commission were turned down, Siddiqui drafted a letter and mailed it to the Delhi High Court in April 2012.

Siddiqui argued that since he fell in the below poverty line category, a fact verified by the Bombay High Court registrar, he should be given this "information" free of cost.

He cited section 7(5) of the RTI Act that said that even for supplying a priced publication, no fee shall be charged from people in the poor category.

Siddiqui also raised questions over invoking of copyright laws, pointing out that providing soft copies does not violate the same unless the copies are published by anyone for financial gains without their permission.