A special court in India has reserved its verdict in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, which killed six people and injured over 100. The trial began nearly 17 years after the bombing in the town of Malegaon, located in Maharashtra. The prosecution concluded its final arguments on Saturday, marking the end of the hearings. Seven individuals, including Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit and BJP leader Pragya Thakur, are facing charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The verdict is expected to be delivered on May 8th.
It discharged three accused -- Shyam Sahu, Shivnarayan Kalsangra and Praveen Takalki -- from the case.
A special court, in its acquittal order in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has highlighted a running battle between the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), pointing out stark contradictions in their probe.
A special NIA court is likely to deliver its verdict in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, which killed six persons and injured over 100. Seven accused, including Pragya Thakur and Prasad Purohit, face charges under UAPA and IPC.
Earlier, Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested one person from Pune for giving shelter to both the suspected terrorists.
Special NIA court judge AK Lahoti, conducting trial in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has been transferred to Nashik just days before the court was likely to reserve the matter for judgement. The transfer order, issued by the registrar general of the Bombay High Court, will come into effect on June 9. The order directs the judge to finish judgments in all cases where hearing has concluded and to dispose of part-heard cases before handing over charge. In the last hearing on Saturday, judge Lahoti directed the prosecution and defense to wrap up the remaining arguments by April 15 and was expected to reserve the matter for judgement the following day, a defense lawyer said.
The investigation for 7/11 blast in which 189 people died was under question mark from the very first month after the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad started arresting the accused from different parts of city. Within 10 days of blast by July 22, 2006, ATS arrested all the 13 terror accused in the case under the leadership of ATS chief, K P Raghuvanshi.
A youth was arrested and arms and ammunition were recovered from his possession in Mumbai on Thursday, police said. Acting on a tip-off, Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad arrested 28-year-old Kailash Singh from suburban Chembur and recovered 10 pistols, one carbine and 68 cartridges from his possession, Anti-Terrorism Squad chief K P Raghuvanshi said.
A court in Gujarat's Junagadh district on Wednesday granted bail to Islamic preacher Mufti Salman Azhari and two others in connection with a 'hate speech' case registered against them.
The 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, spanning nearly 17 years, was marked by changes in investigating agencies and five different judges, contributing to significant delays, according to victims and accused.
While granting Jundal's custody to Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Sqaud, chief metropolitan magistrate Vinod Yadav reminded it that after they finish interrogating Jundal, the alleged terror mastermind has to be brought back to Delhi as the National Investigation Agency and other agencies too have sought his custody.
The RSS on Saturday served a legal notice to Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh over his controversial remarks about Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare, who was killed in the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai. Demanding an unconditional apology from him for the 'unsubstantiated remarks', the notice warns him of legal action under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity between communities, deliberately outraging religious feelings.
Kavita Karkare and Smita Salaskar, the widows of slain Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar, on Monday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and apprised her of problems they face. Both Karkare and Salaskar died while fighting terrorists during the Mumbai terror attack.
Two suspects arrested for allegedly plotting terror strikes on ONCG headquarters and two markets in prime areas in Mumbai had received money from a Pakistani national based in Dubai through a UAE financial firm, says the chargesheet filed by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in a local court.
The Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Maharashtra police on Wednesday told the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court in Mumbai that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative and a key 26/11 handler Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal was involved in terror activities since as far back as 1996.
Four persons, including a woman, who were held in Surat on Friday on suspicion of being terror suspects wanted by the Mumbai police, were released on Tuesday after it was verified that they were not the same whose sketches were released last week.
All the men involved in the Mumbai terror attack were Pakistani nationals and no locals were involved, arrested militant Ajmal Kasab told Mumbai's Anti Terrorism Squad. However, Kasab said vaguely during his interrogation that some members of a local module helped with logistics.
Seventeen years since a string of powerful bombs ripped through Mumbai's commuter trains system in the evening rush hour on July 11, the Bombay high court is yet to commence hearing on the confirmation of the death penalty given to five convicts in the case.
In a bid to get clues on the latest serial blasts in Mumbai, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and the Mumbai Crime Branch have questioned a number of people including two arrested Indian Mujahideen operatives, and those having links with underworld gangs and other anti-social elements. "A number of people have been questioned so far but the exact figure we cannot tell you. Those questioned include two IM members who were recently arrested," said an ATS official.
Investigators probing the acts of terror allegedly carried out by right-wing groups at Malegaon, Ajmer and Hyderabad are now looking for one Swami Aseemanand and his accomplice.The police have been looking for Swami Aseemanand since the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in October 2009 in connection with the Malegaon blasts. The ATS had picked up incriminating intercepts of his conversation with the Sadhvi.
A Delhi court on Friday issued fresh production warrant for key 26/11 attacks handler Abu Jundal after Mumbai Anti-Terrorism squad once again failed to hand him over to the Delhi police saying he is required for interrogation in other cases.
Key handler of 26/11 and Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist Abu Jundal was on Thursday remanded in judicial custody by a Delhi court after the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad produced him and stated that he was no longer wanted for interrogation in cases registered against him in Maharashtra. Jundal was produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vidya Parkash by the Mumbai ATS and was sent to Tihar jail.
A startling disclosure by arrested Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal -- that his outfit carried out a reconnaissance of nearly a dozen spots in Mumbai in August -- has prompted Maharashtra police to beef up security.
Months after the triple bombings rocked Mumbai on July 13 this year, most counter-terrorism experts were willing to shove the 13/7 investigations under the rug as 'yet another case with a dead end.' However, rediff.com's Toral Varia finds that the Anti-Terrorism Squad has successfully managed to join the dots by decoding the CCTV footage. Here are the EXCLUSIVE details.
Investigators on Tuesday said that they think at least six newly recruited terrorists could have been involved in placing explosives in the triple bombings. However, there has been no breakthrough in the probe nearly a week after the attack.
The National Investigation Agency, which was formed to investigate cases relating to terrorism, was not roped in for the investigation into the Pune blast.
Fringe elements of the underworld may be involved in the serial blasts that shook Mumbai on Wednesday night and claimed 19 lives. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad has started questioning some elements of the underworld and their informers to garner more clues about the case. "A turf war has been going on between the underworld and terror outfits for some time. We believe that the underworld may have carried out blasts to step up the heat on terror networks," said a source
Two persons have been arrested from Pune and Nashik by Mumbai's Anti-Terrorism Squad in connection with the German Bakery blast case in Pune that left 16 people dead, Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil said on Wednesday.
The Mangalore police has picked up a key suspect in the 26 11 terror attacks at the Bajpe airport in Mangalore airport on Monday.
The Centre is unhappy with the manner in which certain information was made public by Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad chief K P Raghuvanshi after the arrest of two suspects planning to carry out terror attacks in Mumbai, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said on Wednesday.
The Maharashtra police's Anti-Terrorism Squad on Tuesday obtained transit remand of a Lashkar-e-Tayiba militant, who had been arrested in connection with the attack on a Central Reserve Police Force camp in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, to investigate his links with the terror attack on Mumbai last week.Special Judge (Gangster Act) Mohammad Hussain granted the transit remand of Sabahuddin on an application moved by a Maharashtra ATS team.
"The mail sent by a group named the Indian Mujhahideen soon after the blasts has been tracked to an IP address in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai," Additional Commissioner of Police Parambir Singh told PTI.
Local people prevented the police from reaching the site immediately after the blast and it could have been done to shield the accused, said Thakur's lawyer, advocate JP Mishra.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad team, which is probing the Mumbai terror attacks, on Tuesday took transit remand of an accused arrested in connection with the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force camp in Rampur."An ATS team, which arrived in the state capital on Monday, took Imran Shahzad alias Abu Samad, currently lodged in Lucknow jail, on transit remand to Mumbai," said Additional Director General (Law and Order) Brijlal.
Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad is coordinating with their Maharashtra counterpart in the investigation into the recent Mumbai blasts and a UP police team is currently visiting the metropolis in this regard.
The Mumbai ATS should investigate the blasts thoroughly and need not hesitate to have a second look at the Samjhauta Express explosions, but they should do it in a professional manner, not in a manner that adds to suspicions that the investigation has taken a pre-election political turn -- with the objective being to fix the Hindu nationalists and not to fix the terrorists, says B Raman
All I have to say is that the narco-analysis reports came in very late and by the time we started to look into it, the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. We however got to know that those involved in the Nanded blast were also part of the Parbhani blasts case, says K P S Raghuvanshi, former chief of the Mumbai Anti Terrorism Squad
Vijay Taneja stages Bollywood events abroad.
The Bombay High Court has discontinued its monitoring of the investigation into the 2015 murder of communist leader and rationalist writer Govind Pansare, directing the sessions court to expedite the ongoing trial. The decision comes after a report by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) indicated that the investigation has been thoroughly conducted, with only the arrest of two absconding accused remaining. The court has ordered daily hearings for the trial, which has already begun and has seen 28 prosecution witnesses examined as of December 16, 2024.
The Mumbai police on Tuesday registered a First Information Report against unknown persons in the case of the missing bullet-proof jacket of former Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare.The FIR was registered at the JJ Marg police station in south Mumbai, on an order passed by the Mazgaon metropolitan magistrate, following a complaint made by social activist Santosh Daundkar.The magistrate had ordered the police to probe the whereabouts of the missing jacket.
