MUMBAI: An Indian court formally charged 13 men with murder and other charges for their alleged roles in train bombings last year that killed 187 people in India's financial capital of Mumbai.

The first charges were read out on Monday in a Mumbai court. The formal reading of the charges concluded late on Tuesday, and all 13 were charged with murder in connection with the July 2006 bombings.

All defendants pleaded not guilty. If convicted, the men face from 25 years imprisonment to the death penalty.

Police say the 13 men, along with 15 others still at large, plotted and carried out the attacks, setting off a series of bombs that ripped apart seven coaches during evening rush hour. Apart from those killed, another 824 people were wounded.

According to the charges, the men were members of Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, a militant group based in Pakistan, and of the Students' Islamic Movement of India, or SIMI, a banned group based in northern India.

Lashkar-i-Tayyaba is one of the largest of a dozen militant groups fighting to oust Kashmir from India. All 13 men are Muslim Indians, while 10 of the 15 still at large are from Pakistan. Two others allegedly involved were killed. One died in the bombing while another was shot dead by police. The men refused to sign the charge sheet saying they did not recognize the court's jurisdiction in the case.—AP