Kolkata: The Kolkata High Court has allowed the hearing of Aftab Ansari, prime accused in the American Centre attack case, and eight others to be held in Presidency jail, following a plea by the West Bengal government citing security risks in bringing the accused to court.

The High Court, in an extraordinary gazette notification dated March 3 said, "In exercise of the power conferred by Section 9(6) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, chief justice and judges of this court have ordered the trial of Aftab Ansari and eight others to be held in Presidency jail."

A full court administrative meeting of the High Court had on February 28 concluded that the city civil and sessions court had jurisdiction to hold Ansari's trial in the Presidency jail.

The West Bengal government had told the High Court that Ansari might try to escape while in transit to and from courts, and pleaded for holding his trial in jail premises.

Advocate general Balai Roy had submitted that Ansari and the co-accused, being members of international terrorist gangs with access to modern gadgets, could escape during transit.

The state had also said that bringing Ansari and the other co-accused to court involved huge expense as elaborate security arrangement had to be made at the court and on the roads through which the accused were taken.

Six policemen were killed in the shootout in front of the American Centre on January 22 last year. Ansari is also the main accused in the high-profile Khadim kidnap case.

The state had earlier made the prayer in the chief metropolitan magistrate's court, who had referred it to the High Court.

PTI