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.
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 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.
The Anti Terrorism Squad on Wednesday told the MCOCA court hearing the case into the September 2008 Malegaon blast that it has video recordings of a meeting in which the blast accused were present
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.
Nine Muslim men, who were arrested in the 2006 Malegaon blasts and in jail for the past four years, on Monday moved a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court seeking bail citing Swami Aseemanand's confession pointing to a right-wing group's involvement in the attack that killed 36 persons.
Having arrested a serving army officer and a retired Major in connection with Malegaon blast, Mumbai police and central security agencies are probing the role of some more members of the armed forces, including another high-ranking official, for funding the incident.
A team of Anti-Terrorist Squad of the Mumbai police arrived in Bhopal on Saturday in connection with the probe in the Malegaon blasts amidst reports that the role of two former army officers was being investigated.
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
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.
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 Supreme Court has junked a plea filed by Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit seeking discharge in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.
Among other grounds for seeking discharge, Purohit had claimed lack of sanction under relevant provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure to prosecute him.
The principal of the Bhonsala Military School in Nashik was on Friday detained by the Anti Terrorism Squad for questioning in the September 29 Malegaon blasts even as prime accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was brought to Mumbai for brain mapping and polygraph tests.
All 10 accused in the Malegaon blast case have been booked under stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.
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.
Apparently distancing itself from the Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur episode, the Hindu Mahasabha has said it does not support terrorism by anyone and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of encashing on Hindu sentiments by coming out in support of the Malegaon blast accused."The BJP is encashing on religious sentiments of Hindus again for their politics. Earlier they had encashed on the Ram janmabhoomi issue and this time it wants to encash on Malegaon," the ABHM said.
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.
Two more persons were arrested in connection with Malegaon blast case on Tuesday. The two persons have been identified as Rameshchandra Upadhyay and Sameer Kulkarni.
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."
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 ATS official was cross-examined by Thakur's lawyer during the day's proceedings.
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.
A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Justice Vikram Nath noted that as of now 246 witnesses have been examined.
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.
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.
Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and People's Democratic Party leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has demanded that the Centre investigate the role of Lieutenant General (Retired) S K Sinha in the Malegaon blast as during the latter's tenure as the state's governor, religious leader Dayanand Pandey used to visit Kashmir regularly and was treated like a state guest.Sources close to Lt Gen Sinha rejected Mufti's charges as outrageous.
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.
In a fresh development in the 2006 Malegaon blast probe, a special court on Thursday granted permission to the Central Bureau of Investigation for reinvestigating the case in wake of "confession" statements made by Swami Aseemanand linking Hindu groups to terror acts.
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.
He had not played any role in the blast, Purohit had said, adding that he was in jail for the last seven years without trial.
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.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram recently declared that the National Investigation Agency will not oppose the bail pleas of the nine Muslim youths arrested in connection with the 2006 Malegaon blasts. Toral Varia analyses the reasons behind this decision and what are the new leads being explored by the NIA.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram recently declared that the National Investigation Agency will not oppose the bail pleas of the nine Muslim youths arrested in connection with the 2006 Malegaon blasts. Toral Varia analyses the reasons behind this decision and what are the new leads being explored by the NIA.
Indian Army officer Lt Col Prasad Purohit, arrested for his alleged involvement in Malegaon blast, has moved the principal bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal in New Delhi to quash the court of inquiry ordered by the Army against him for violation of the Army Act and Rules. In his application, Purohit, who is currently lodged in Mumbai's Arthur Road jail, has charged the Army with denying him his right to remain present throughout the proceedings of the court of inquiry.
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.
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.
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 court on Thursday said the application of provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in the Malegaon blast case by the Maharashtra police was valid.After perusing the chargesheet, special MCOCA judge Y D Shinde said prima facie there was evidence to invoke MCOCA in the case.The over 4,000-page chargesheet had been filed by the ATS against 14 accused in the case charging them under MCOCA.
The Central Bureau of Investigation got the nod to re-investigate the 2006 Malegaon case on Thursday. The decision by the MCOCA court throws open a lot of questions regarding the earlier investigation and the CBI now has its task cut out since it will not only have to deal with the new set of accused but also with the nine other accused who have been languishing in jail ever since the attack took place.
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