'We were expecting death sentences, but now the court has acquitted them, despite Aseemanand himself admitting to his crime in front of a judge.' More importantly, it seems the tag of 'Hindu Terror' coined by the United Progressive Alliance government was wrong all along. Amjedullah Khan, spokesperson for the Majlis Bachao Tehreek, has been tracking the Mecca Masjid blast case from day one and was also involved in securing the release of more than 100 Muslims youths who were falsely accused in different terror cases in the aftermath of the blast. He spoke to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com about the acquittal of Swami Aseemanand and what it means.
As the hearing started, Justice Bhat, who was on the bench with Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, expressed his inability to be part of the hearing but did not elaborate on the reason.
The judge will hear arguments on the quantum of punishment on July 12 and the convicts can get a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the offences.
The NIA on Tuesday took over the case of last week's terror strike near an army camp Jammu, officials said, as one of the three arrestees confessed to transporting terrorists from the International Border to Kashmir in the past also, sending alarm bells ringing in the security establishment.
A witness who is a former army official turned hostile in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast trial in Mumbai on Thursday.
Teltumbde, Navlakha and nine other civil liberties activists have been booked under the stringent provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for having alleged Maoist links and conspiring to overthrow the government.
A Delhi court on Monday sent Aamir Abbas Dev and Wasim Akram Malik, accused in the September 7 Delhi high court blast, to judicial remand for 14 days after the National Investigation Agency submitted that it does not require their custody.
The NIA arrested the three during in-chamber proceedings before Special Judge Rakesh Syal and sought 15-day custodial interrogation.
The youths 'had got together and formed an ISIS terror module named Ansarul Khilafa-KL over social media platforms and had made preparations to carry out terrorist attacks against prominent persons, including judges, police officers and politicians, and also against foreign nationals and rationalists', it said.
Jammu and Kashmir native Abid Hussain, arrested for his alleged role in the September 7 bomb blast in the Delhi high court premises, was on Wednesday sent to Tihar Jail with a Delhi court remanding him in judicial custody till October 7.
Naik is said to have acquired citizenship of Saudi Arabia but this has not been confirmed yet.
Abu Jundal, a 26/11 key handler and LeT terrorist, was on Monday handed over to the NIA for custodial interrogation by a Delhi court where he claimed that he was "tortured" physically and mentally during the probe by various agencies since his arrest in June this year.
The 83-year-old, who has challenged the Bombay high court's April 13 order rejecting his plea for permanent bail on medical grounds, is currently on interim bail on medical grounds and he was to surrender on July 12.
They had earlier been arrested by the Manipur police in September last year when they were allegedly extorting money by wearing police uniforms and carrying sophisticated weapons, the officials said.
After hearing the NIA's arguments, the court remanded all the accused to agency's custody till July 25, they said.
The court also observed that it found substance in the allegations made by the NIA.
Overriding the Biden administration's appeal, a US court has ordered a stay on the extradition of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, to India where he is facing a trial for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
A federal United States court has allowed Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana time till November 9 to file a motion against his extradition to India to face a trial in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.
Special NIA Judge V S Padalkar said conducting the trial in a "transparent manner" was among the reasons for rejecting the NIA's plea.
It directed the probe agency to furnish the report to it after completing the investigation.
NIA had sought 15-day custodial interrogation of the accused who were arrested from various parts of the national capital and Uttar Pradesh.
A Delhi court on Thursday remanded Abid Hussain, arrested in connection with the September 7 Delhi high court blast, in custody of the National Investigation Team till October 5. Hussain was produced before District Judge H S Sharma by the NIA.
A government lawyer told the Bombay high court on Friday that though prison inmates can talk to their relatives or lawyers on phone, she was not sure if the facility could be granted to activist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.
Disposing of the plea on August 1, special judge AK Lahoti, however, noted the contentions raised by the accused are kept open and he is at liberty to point them out at the time of final hearing.
The judge remanded them in judicial custody though the investigating agency has filed an application seeking their police custody for further examination.
'The last six years have been full of uncertainty. We've been constantly worrying about what will happen next.'
A special NIA court in Kerala on Wednesday convicted six persons, who are allegedly members of the now banned radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), in the sensational hand chopping case of a college professor in Kerala in 2010.
Rubina Dilaik, Amruta Khanvilkar and Nia Sharma burn the dance floor, observes Namrata Thakker.
The custodial interrogation of Abu Jundal, a 26/11 key handler and a Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist, has been completed, the National Investigation Agency told a Delhi court on Saturday.
Shah defended the government for not filing an appeal against the acquittal of all four accused, including the radical right-wing's Swami Aseemanand, in the 2007 Samjhauta Express blasts case.
Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal was on Saturday arrested by the National Investigation Agency Hyderabad in connection with the February 2013 Dilsukhnagar blast case after a Delhi court allowed its plea and granted the probe agency his two-day remand.
The NIA told the court that Iqbal was required to be interrogated to ascertain the identities of his other associates and know about their funding pattern.
A Delhi court on Tuesday extended till September 22 the National Investigation Agency custody of Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal after the probe agency said he was involved in "subversive activities" of causing bomb blasts in different parts of India since 2003.
NIA was on Monday allowed by a special court to conduct a lie-detector test on senior Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh in connection with the Pathankot terror attack probe.
The judgement, however, paved the way for their release as all of them have already served as much time in jail.
Rakul relives her childhood... Armaan in Egypt... Rasika wants some recommendations...
The Bombay high court on Friday dismissed petitions filed by Ramesh Upadhyay and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, both accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blasts case, questioning probe by National Investigation Agency and also challenging the constitutional validity of the NIA Act.
Khalistani separatist Lakhbir Singh alias 'Rode', a designated terrorist under the Indian law, has died recently in Pakistan, where he had taken refuge after his uncle Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was killed in 1984 during an army action, officials said on Tuesday.
Eleven suspected ISIS operatives arrested from across the country were today remanded in seven days NIA custody by a Delhi court.
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