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Amid speculation that nine incarcerated accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case might get a reprieve at the next hearing, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday informed a special court here that that it would file an additional chargesheet in the case on November 4.
In a submission before a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) Court of YD Shinde, the NIA said along with the additional chargesheet, it would also file its say on the bail petition made by the accused in the case.
In their bail plea made in January this year, in the wake of Swami Aseemanand’s confession pointing to a right-wing group’s alleged involvement in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case, the nine accused had stated, “From the confession, it is clear that those responsible for the 2006 Malegaon blasts are persons far removed from the current accused”.
The nine accused had been arrested within weeks of triple blasts that rocked Bada Kabarasthan, Mushawra Chowk and Hamidiya Masjid at Malegaon on September 8, 2006, in which 37 people were killed and 150 others injured.
Ever since then, the accused have been pressing for their bail on the ground that they have been behind bars for nearly five years. They also contended that there was “no direct evidence of their involvement in the 2006 Malegaon blasts” and that it was only based on the “forcibly-taken confessional statement” that a chargesheet was filed against them.
The nine accused who have sought bail are — Noor-Ul-Hooda Samshudoha Ansari, Mohammed Zahid alias Zahid Ali, Raees Ahmed, all alleged bomb planters, Shabbir Ahmed Masiullah alias Batterywala (who stored explosives in his godown), Salman Farsi, Faroqh Maghdumi, Mohammed Ali, Atif Bashir Khan alias Junaid and Abrar Ahmed Saeed.
The Maharashtra ATS, which had initially investigated the triple Malegaon blasts, filed a 2,800-page chargesheet against the nine accused in the case, before the MCOCA Court on December 21, 2006. The day the State ATs filed the chargesheet in the special court, the Maharashtra Government handed over the case to the CBI.
The NIA, which took over the investigations from the CBI in mid this year, expanded the scope of investigations into the blasts in the light of a confession made by Aseemanand in the Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid blast case under Section 164 of the CrPC before a Magistrate on December 18,2010.
In his confession, Aseemanand had reportedly dwelt in detail about the plot involving the Hindu extremist groups behind the Ajmer, Mecca Masjid, Samjhauta Express and Malegaon 2006 and 2008 blasts. Among other things, the Swami had purportedly named RSS functionary Indresh Kumar, late Bhopal-based activist Sunil Joshi, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Col Purohit, Sandeep Danger and Ramji Kalsangra..
Informed NIA sources that the investigating agency would not oppose the bail plea of the nine accused, when the case comes up before the special court for the next hearing on November 19.
Sources said that the NIA had a reason to believe that the nine accused might not have had any role to play in the 2006 Malegaon blasts and that the State ATS had shown “undue haste” in filing the chargesheet in the case.
In a submission before a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) Court of YD Shinde, the NIA said along with the additional chargesheet, it would also file its say on the bail petition made by the accused in the case.
In their bail plea made in January this year, in the wake of Swami Aseemanand’s confession pointing to a right-wing group’s alleged involvement in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case, the nine accused had stated, “From the confession, it is clear that those responsible for the 2006 Malegaon blasts are persons far removed from the current accused”.
The nine accused had been arrested within weeks of triple blasts that rocked Bada Kabarasthan, Mushawra Chowk and Hamidiya Masjid at Malegaon on September 8, 2006, in which 37 people were killed and 150 others injured.
Ever since then, the accused have been pressing for their bail on the ground that they have been behind bars for nearly five years. They also contended that there was “no direct evidence of their involvement in the 2006 Malegaon blasts” and that it was only based on the “forcibly-taken confessional statement” that a chargesheet was filed against them.
The nine accused who have sought bail are — Noor-Ul-Hooda Samshudoha Ansari, Mohammed Zahid alias Zahid Ali, Raees Ahmed, all alleged bomb planters, Shabbir Ahmed Masiullah alias Batterywala (who stored explosives in his godown), Salman Farsi, Faroqh Maghdumi, Mohammed Ali, Atif Bashir Khan alias Junaid and Abrar Ahmed Saeed.
The Maharashtra ATS, which had initially investigated the triple Malegaon blasts, filed a 2,800-page chargesheet against the nine accused in the case, before the MCOCA Court on December 21, 2006. The day the State ATs filed the chargesheet in the special court, the Maharashtra Government handed over the case to the CBI.
The NIA, which took over the investigations from the CBI in mid this year, expanded the scope of investigations into the blasts in the light of a confession made by Aseemanand in the Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid blast case under Section 164 of the CrPC before a Magistrate on December 18,2010.
In his confession, Aseemanand had reportedly dwelt in detail about the plot involving the Hindu extremist groups behind the Ajmer, Mecca Masjid, Samjhauta Express and Malegaon 2006 and 2008 blasts. Among other things, the Swami had purportedly named RSS functionary Indresh Kumar, late Bhopal-based activist Sunil Joshi, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Col Purohit, Sandeep Danger and Ramji Kalsangra..
Informed NIA sources that the investigating agency would not oppose the bail plea of the nine accused, when the case comes up before the special court for the next hearing on November 19.
Sources said that the NIA had a reason to believe that the nine accused might not have had any role to play in the 2006 Malegaon blasts and that the State ATS had shown “undue haste” in filing the chargesheet in the case.
