Nearly 17 years after a blast in Malegaon town of north Maharashtra claimed six lives, a special court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all the seven accused, including former Bharatiya Janata Party MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, noting there was 'no reliable and cogent evidence' against them.
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.
A special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court in Mumbai on Monday granted custody of Sameer Kulkarni, one of the founder-members of right-wing group Abhinav Bharat, to the Madhya Pradesh police while remanding ten Malegaon blast accused to judicial custody till January 6.The MP police had sought the custody of Kulkarni, also accused in the September 29 Malegaon blast case, for allegedly instigating a mob to attack a church in Jabalpur and setting it on fire.
A special court on Tuesday allowed the National Investigation Agency to take custody of three key accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case for further interrogation from July 22 for eight days.
Amid reports that Pakistan may seek extradition of Malegaon blast accused Lieuteant Colonel Shrikant Purohit in the Samjhauta Express blast case, India on Tuesday virtually rejected the demand, saying Islamabad had no locus standi in the investigations involving the Army officer."The case (Malegaon blast) is under examination by the Anti-Terror Squad (of Maharashtra Police). It is our internal matter. We are investigating it. How can Pakistan be concerned with that,"he said.
The witness, who worked at a hotel in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, had in his statement to the Anti-Terrorism Squad claimed that he had booked rooms for the accused in the 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'.
The National Investigation Agency on Saturday formally arrested key accused in 2007 Samjhauta Express blast case, Lokesh Sharma, in connection with the 2006 Malegaon bomb blasts case.
Pragya will undergo brain-mapping, polygraph and lie detector tests at Forensic Science Laboratory in suburban Santa Cruz, ATS Director Rukmani Krishnamurthy said. The Nashik court had permitted the ATS to conduct these psychological tests on Sadhvi.
The Malegaon blasts case has opened the proverbial can of worms. After the alleged involvement of right wing Hindu fundamentalists, the arrest of Lieutenant Colonel Srikant Purohit on Wednesday has managed to rattle the top brass of the government and the Indian Army.Several residents of this textile town in Maharashtra are now demanding another investigation in the 2006 serial blasts, which claimed 37 lives.
Retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, on Monday filed his nomination from Bairia Assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh through his son Vishal.
A witness who is a former army official turned hostile in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast trial in Mumbai on Thursday.
The court had on October 30 framed charges in the case against all the seven accused for terror activities, criminal conspiracy and murder, among others.
An organisation that helped the families of victims in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has expressed displeasure over the acquittal of seven accused and sought to know if they were not involved in the incident, then who were responsible for it.
Nine accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blast case on Saturdaygot bail as National Investigation Agency chose not to oppose their plea for liberty.
Purohit was doing his job as a military intelligence officer and was "framed" in the case, his lawyer and former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the high court on Friday.
Former IPS officer Meeran Borwankar claims political interference hindered justice in the Malegaon and 7/11 blasts, and the Narendra Dabholkar murder case. She cited instances of pressure on investigators and prosecutors.
The Maharashtra government has filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court challenging the revocation of the provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in the September 2008 Malegaon blasts case. The high court on Monday adjourned the matter to September 8 after directing the state to serve a copy of the appeal to all the 11 arrested accused in the case. A special MCOCA court had on July 31 dropped all the charges of MCOCA from the case.
Two members of the Mumbai ATS -- Inspector Vakhade and Assistant Inspector Sayyad -- had arrived in Mangalore city on Friday to interrogate Muthalik. The decision to interrogate Muthalik was taken following the statements of Lt Colonel Purohit (Malegaon blast prime accused). "I don't think the ATS has anything against me," he told media persons outside the court, adding, "I also don't think I will be arrested."
All 10 accused in the Malegaon blast case have been booked under stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.
Two months after the Central Bureau of Investigation decided to "reopen and reinvestigate" the 2006 Malegoan blast case, the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court on Monday granted permission to the agency to interrogate Dayanand Pandey, an accused in the 2008 Malegoan blast.
A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Justice Vikram Nath noted that as of now 246 witnesses have been examined.
The bail plea of nine persons accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts has been rejected by a special MCOCA court in Mumbai on Tuesday. The nine accused had moved the special MCOCA court in February seeking bail on the basis of the confessional statement of Swami Aseemanand, a key accused in the Samjhauta Express blasts case. Aseemanand had alleged that right-wing groups were involved in the 2006 bombings.The anti-terrorism squad of the Maharashtra police had investigated the case
The Maharashtra Anti-terror Squad made a very important arrest in the Malegaon blast case late Monday night. Praveen Muthalik, who is said to be one of the executors of the blast was arrested and later remanded in police custody till February 14. He had been absconding for nearly two years.
Following the release of six accused in the 2006 Malegaon blast case, prime accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur has moved the court seeking regular bail.
Special counsel for ATS Ajay Misar argued before the court that since investigation into the blast was still on, the judicial remand of the accused should be extended.
Sadhvi Pragya had moved the court earlier this month seeking her discharge in the Malegoan bomb blast case.
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.
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 court transferred the custody of Samir Kulkarni, an accused in the case and one of the co-founders of right-wing group Abhinav Bharat, to the Madhya Pradesh police.
Sameer Kulkarni, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, was on Tuesday remanded to judicial custody till February 16 by a Jabalpur court in an arson case. Kularni was produced in the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, the prosecution said.
The ATS official was cross-examined by Thakur's lawyer during the day's proceedings.
Prime accused in the Malegaon blast case Pragnya Singh Thakur was on Friday shifted to the Nashik civil hospital from the central jail for medical checkup, hospital sources said.
The prosecution has proved the entire chain that connected the accused with each other for achieving the goal of executing the bomb blast and perform terrorist acts, the written statement, filed by the intervenor for the victims, said.
Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad is considering pressing charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act against all the nine accused in the Malegaon blast case, including Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.The ATS is investigating transfer of funds from the bank account of Lt. Col. Purohit, the first serving army officer to be arrested in the case, to Rahirkar and others for execution of the alleged conspiracy.
A special NIA court in Mumbai conducting trial in the 2008 Malegaon blast case on Tuesday directed all the seven accused, including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, to appear before it on December 3.
The National Investigation Agency has accused the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad of planting evidence and coercing witnesses, but its own investigation is incomplete and leaves many questions unanswered.
The National Investigation Agency court also noted that the warrant was not served on Thakur and directed her to appear before it on March 27 for recording statement.
The recent revelations made in the Army Court of Inquiry favouring Lt Colonel S P Purohit have put the National Investigating agency in a spot of bother with regard to its investigation into the involvement of right-wing terror groups in the Malegaon blasts case.
The apex court said it has imposed certain conditions on Purohit while granting bail.
