With the terror trail leading to Hindu right-wing groups in 2006 Malegaon bombings, the Central Bureau of Investigation is now planning to question members of such outfits including those arrested in connection with the blasts in Maharashtra's power-loom city two years later.
A Supreme Court judge on Friday recused from hearing a plea against removal of Special Public Prosecutor by NIA in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, saying that he had represented certain accused in the matter.
Amid demands for a fresh probe into 2006 Malegaon blasts, the Central Bureau of Investigation has hinted that Mumbai Police's elite Anti-Terror Squad had in its rush to solve the case named two of the accused without realising that one of them was languishing in jail while another was 700 kms away from the town at the time of the explosions.
"It is a grievous offence. Many people were killed. The trial is still on," the apex court said when Purohit's counsel submitted that the accused was languishing in jail for the past two years.
Rejecting Maharashtra police's investigation, the Central Bureau of Investigation has attributed Malegaon Additional Collector Yashwant Sonawane's gruesome murder to "past enmity".
The crowd gathered in front of Apsara hotel on Tuesday night, where the Maulana was discussing the matter with his corporators.
Six of the nine accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blasts case were on Wednesday released after a trial court in Mumbai granted them bail.
The Bombay high court ruled out any possibility of granting bail to September 2008 Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in Mumbai on Wednesday.
No cycles or any sort of luggage were allowed near the mosque.
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to grant interim bail to ex-army officer Shrikant Prasad Purohit, Pragya Thakur and other accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.
The two youth from Belthangady in Mangalore who were questioned by the National Investigating Agency over their alleged involvement in the Malegaon blast, have decided to move the state human rights commission alleging harassment -- both physical and mental.
A special MCOCA court on Wednesday remanded Malegaon blast accused Dayanand Pandey to police custody till December 1, after Anti-Terrorism Squad officials said they wanted to questioning him regarding some data found on his laptop.
Seven accused in the Malegaon blast case, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, were today remanded in judicial custody till December 3 by a MCOCA court.
Some media reports have speculated on a possible link between Malegaon blast accused Lt Colonel Srikant Purohit and the Mecca Masjid blasts. However, the Hyderabad police maintain that they have not found any links so far. They say Purohit's remand application before the Nashik court makes no mention of the Mecca Masjid blasts.
The Bombay high court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of 2008 Malegaon blast accused Lt Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit but allowed liberty to co-accused Ajay Rahirkar on certain conditions.
However, the Pune ATS moved an application seeking the army officer's custody in another case registered with them. Purohit was arrested earlier this month in connection with the September 29 Malegaon blast that killed six and injured 80. He is among ten, including sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, arrested for their alleged role in the blast.
The prosecution also sought permission to conduct polygraph, narco-analysis and brain mapping tests on Pandey which was granted by joint civil judge H K Ganatra. Pandey, who was produced before the judge, complained of being physically assaulted by officials of the Anti-Terrorism Squad.
Six of the nine accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blasts case were on Wednesday released after a trial court in Mumbai granted them bail.
In response to an RTI query filed by Gulzaar Azmi, general secretary (legal cell) of a socio-cultural organisation, Jamiat Ulama-E-Maharashtra, it was found that Sadashiv Abhimanyu Patil, a constable attached to Nashik unit of ATS, had sent Rs 1,000 thrice to accused Abrar Ahmed through money order in August, September and November 2008 from his residential address at police headquarters in Nashik.
When the HC asked the NIA to produce the transcript of the recording of the Bhopal meeting, the agency said it was not aware if it existed.
Retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, an accused in the last year's Malegaon bomb blast, on Friday moved to a special court here seeking permission to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad on Tuesday filed a charge sheet against 11 people, including a serving army official and a sadhvi, for the 2007 Malegaon blasts, which killed seven people. Special MCOCA Judge Y D Shinde granted permission to the ATS to file the charge sheet, which was over 4,000 pages, against all the eleven accused.
A division bench dismissed an appeal filed by her against a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court order, refusing bail to her on medical grounds.
Making it clear that Malegaon blast accused Colonel Srikant Purohit has no links with it, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to set up an independent commission to probe an alleged plot to assassinate its chief Mohan Bhagwat by the former military intelligence officer and efforts to 'malign' the image of the Sangh.
In a viral video circulating on the social media, cow vigilantes can be seen shouting slogans and assaulting two youth for allegedly possessing beef in Malegaon tehsil of Maharashtra's Washim. The cow vigilantes in the video can be seen beating up the young men, and accusing the duo of being in possession of cow meat.
Justifying enactment of the National Investigation Agency Act and transferring the probe in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case to the agency, the Union government on Wednesday told the Bombay high court that Parliament could enact any act for the whole or any part of the country.
The development assumes significance as under MCOCA, a confession does not have evidential value if it is not a voluntary and true disclosure.
'Since childhood we've said 'tumhare mu mein ghee shakkar'.' 'That's why I am moving away from sweet sweet films and concentrating on films like Tiger.'
Khan said Deshmukh gave the assurance to the delegation, which met him at Vidhan Bhawan office in Nagpur and handed over a memorandum.
The arrested person is identified as a 29-year-old man from Kolhapur who allegedly used Tipu Sultan's image with the caption 'Bharat Ka Raja' on social media, which caused enmity between two communities, he said.
The Anti-Terrorist Squad of the Mumbai police suffered a major setback last week, when charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act against Sadhvi Pragya Singh, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit and nine other accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, were dropped by the special court's designated Judge Y B Shinde.Dropping MCOCA charges against the prime accused in the Malegaon blast case has definitely made the prosecution's task tougher.
The National Investigation Agency, which has been struggling to collect evidence in the 2006 Malegaon blast case, is likely to quiz some of the Maharashtra ATS officials who had probed the case.
Two persons were critically injured and three vehicles gutted when an explosive hidden in a scooter went off on a busy street in the heart of Margao town, 30 km from Panaji.
The National Investigation Agency on Monday informed a court hearing the 2006 Malegaon bomb blast case that it would file additional charge sheet against the nine accused on November 4.
Minutes before he fell to the terrorists' bullets on November 26, Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare had wept before the then Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil, narrating the agony of being targeted over handling of the Malegaon blast probe.
Sadhvi Pragya had moved the court earlier this month seeking her discharge in the Malegoan bomb blast case.
During investigation, 'sufficient evidences have not been found against' Pragya Singh Thakur and five others, the NIA said, adding it has submitted in the chargesheet 'that the prosecution against them is not maintainable'.
An armyman, who had served with Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit in Military Intelligence, is likely to be made a prosecution witness in the Malegaon blast case as the Anti Terrorism Squad inquiring into the matter has recorded his statement.
The National Investigation Agency, which failed to file its reply on a petition challenging its validity and powers to function has sought more time from the Bombay high court to file its reply.
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