Aseemanand, a member of right-wing Hindu group Abhinav Bharat, has been in jail since December 2010.
The verdict came after National Investigation Agency special judge Jagdeep Singh dismissed the plea filed by a Pakistani woman for examining eyewitnesses from her country, saying it was "devoid of any merit".
Seven years after Samjhauta Express blasts, a court on Friday framed murder, sedition and other charges against right wing Hindu activist Swami Aseemanand and three others paving the way for start of trial.
The bail plea of Swami Aseemanand, an accused in the Samjhauta Express blast, was rejected by a sessions court. Assemanand's bail plea, filed on the ground that the National Investigation Agency failed to file a charge-sheet within 90 days, was rejected by the court of district and sessions judge. Aseemanand denied having made any statement to the NIA about his involvement in the Samjhauta blast case.
While the National Investigation Agency is focusing on the confessions made by Swami Aseemanand about the involvement of Hindu extremist groups in the Samjhauta blasts case, the revelations by SIMI claiming responsibility for the attack cannot be overlooked. The contradictory statements by the two radical groups has left the investigators going in circles, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
A local court on Tuesday allowed the National Investigation Agency to compare next week forensic evidence collected in Samjhauta Express train blast case with that of bomb attacks in Malegaon, Hyderabad and Ajmer, in which the role of right-wing Hindu extremists is suspected.
Samjhauta blast accused Swami Aseemanand on Wednesday denied in court that he had ever met with Kamal Chauhan, who has accepted that he bombed the train that left 68 dead in February 2007.
In an apparent reference to Swami Aseemanand's confession to a special court in New Delhi, a statement issued by the Foreign Office said the Indian diplomat's "attention was drawn to the recent reports in the media on the investigations into the Samjhauta Express blasts of February 2007".
In a major breakthrough in the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast case, the National Investigation Agency arrested Rajendra (Pahalwan) Chowdhary, suspected to have planted bombs in the Pakistan-bound train, from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.
The Waqf Board is an Islamic trust which encompasses many facets of Islamic life including education, maintenance of buildings and burials.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was on Tuesday quoted as having linked the Samjhauta train blasts near Panipat in 2007 to the Mumbai terror attacks last November.According to the Dawn newspaper, Qureshi had told reporters in Multan that the Samjhauta Express incident and the Mumbai attacks were inter-connected and the probe could continue only if India responds to questions raised by Pakistan.
While the National Investigation Agency is convinced that Swami Aseemanand, a Hindu right-wing leader, was involved in the Samjhauta Express blasts that killed 68 people in 2007, they feel that he is not the mastermind behind the attack. The swami's confessions point out that though he was aware of the attack, it was planned by Sunil Joshi, Aseemanand's alleged right hand man, who was murdered in mysterious circumstances in Dewas in Madhya Pradesh on December 29, 2007.
The National Investigation Agency, which is investigating the case relating to the bomb blast in Atari Express (popularly known as Samjhauta Express) in February 2007 that claimed 68 lives, has announced cash awards for locating three key suspects.
The quarter-page advertisement, issued by the 'Samjhota Affectees Action Committee', appeared in several leading newspapers.
Measures include frisking of all passengers and manual checking of their luggage.
The BJP has lauded the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, as a testament to "New India's" zero-tolerance stance against terrorism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the Congress has countered the claim, stating that the extradition was the result of diplomatic efforts initiated during the UPA government's tenure. The BJP highlighted Rana's return as a tribute to security personnel who lost their lives fighting Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and a step towards justice for victims of the attack. The Congress, however, asserted that the Modi government did not initiate the extradition process but benefited from the UPA's groundwork. The exchange of accusations has added a political dimension to Rana's extradition, with both parties vying for credit for the development.
Special NIA court judge Jagdeep Singh posted the matter for March 14 after a Pakistani woman filed a petition claiming she had some evidence relevant to the case.
Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Purohit, who was arrested for his role in the Malegaon blast, was produced before a Nashik court on Saturday.The court extended Purohit's police custody till November 18.Public Prosecutor Ajay Misar told the court that Lt Col Purohit had links with the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast and he supplied the RDX used in the blast.
The National Investigating Agency has a tough task ahead as it continues its investigation of the Samjhauta Express blast of 2007 that claimed around 60 lives. The biggest hurdle the investigators face today is that the two key people closely linked to the attack -- Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak Sunil Joshi and his associate Ramprasad Kalouta -- are dead.
Pakistan on Monday asked India to provide an early update on the probe into the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing in the wake of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha leader's confession about the involvement of Sangh activists in the attack, in which most of the victims were Pakistanis.
A year after the Samjhauta express blast that killed 68 people including 42 Pakistanis near Panipat, the perpetrators of ghastly attack are still at large even as investigators claim they have found "vital clues" and hope the culprits will not be able to avoid arrest for long.
Intelligence Bureau sources said that Pakistan terming the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the Samjauta Express blast as similar in nature is a delaying tactic. IB officials say that the only similarity in both the cases is that it was masterminded by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. Intercepts picked up and investigations conducted in the Samjauta case point a finger to the Pakistan-based terror outfit.
The National Investigation Agency on Tuesday announced cash rewards for those who help locate three suspects in connection with the Samjhauta Express bomb blast.A cash reward of Rs 10 lakh each has been announced for any person providing information leading to the arrest of Sandeep Dange and Ramchandra Kalsangra.A reward of Rs 2 lakh has been announced for any person providing information leading to the arrest of Ashok.
Pakistan is yet to positively respond to India's offer to restore overflight facilities for Pakistani aircraft, Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar in New Delhi.
India has not shared intelligence with Pakistan on the Samjhauta Express blasts despite repeated requests, Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri has said.
In shocking revelations, Swami Aseemanand claims though RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was not directly involved with the terror strikes, he was aware that such attacks were being planned. Vicky Nanjappa finds out more
A special court in Panchkula on Friday declined the application of National Investigation Agency seeking further custody of Kamal Chauhan, a disgruntled Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker arrested by the investigation agency, in connection with the Samjhauta Express blast.
Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has alleged that an Indian Army officer linked to the 2007 bombing of the trans-border Samjhauta Express train had hired Pakistan-based militants to carry out the attack.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that India has provided the Samjhauta Express train blast investigation report and that both countries have agreed to discuss Kashmir and other pending issues.
In another arrest in the Samjhauta express blast case, the National Investigation Agency has taken into custody an Indore-based man for his alleged role in the 2007 train attack.
Pakistan on Thursday accused India of conducting the probe into the 2007 Samjhauta Express train blast at a "snail's pace", as it asked New Delhi to share with Islamabad "at the earliest" the latest developments in the case in which 42 of its nationals were killed.
A team of Central Bureau of Investigation officials and the Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad is camping in western Madhya Pradesh in connection with the Samjhauta Express and Ajmer Dargah bomb blasts that took place couple of years ago and has questioned 10 people so far.
Siwah, 6 km from Panipat and situated alongside the Delhi-Amritsar railway line, has been notorious for having a large number of people with criminal background.
The National Investigation Agency on Monday told a court Rajender Chaudhary alias Pehalwan, who allegedly planted a bomb in Samjhauta Express in 2007, played a key role in the entire operation, claiming he was instrumental in preparing and procuring the explosive devices.Pehalwan, in his mid-30s, was arrested by the NIA on Saturday night from Nagda, 50 km from Ujjain, where he was living under an assumed name.
Kamal Chauhan, a disgruntled Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker arrested by the National Investigation Agency, had planted bombs on board Samjhauta Express in 2007 after undergoing training in arms and explosives in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, the agency claimed on Tuesday.
The National Investigation Agency appears to be making progress in the Samjhauta Express blasts case. The arrest of Kamal Chouhan, who is alleged to be one of the persons who planted the bomb in the train in February, 2007, that killed 68 people, ensures that the NIA is getting closer to closure of the case.
"As the investigation into the incident progresses, we should also be informed about this," he said at a fuction held at the Governor House in Karachi to distribute compensation cheques to the next of the kin of the victims of the train tragedy.
Mohammed Zakir's ordeal is not over yet. He is without work after one of his hands got badly damaged in the blasts and the compensation towards the death of his parents is eluding him.
A day after Pakistan sought an update on the probe into the Samjhauta Express bombing, the government on Tuesday ruled out sharing of information at this stage saying it was "too premature".
Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, is reportedly using individuals under the influence of drugs or posing as mentally disturbed to infiltrate India and deliver messages to terrorists in prisons. Officials have reported over 10 such cases since July, with individuals entering from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and being sent to prisons in Jammu, Punjab, and Rajasthan. Security agencies suspect these individuals are couriers tasked with relaying communication to jailed terrorists. The ISI's tactic is believed to be a response to the increased use of technology in communication, which leaves behind electronic footprints. This method of infiltration has also been linked to drug smuggling operations. The ISI's current tactic is reminiscent of its past use of "sawari operators" on the Samjhauta Express for covert operations, which were effectively curtailed by authorities.
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