Friday, August 30, 2013

9 accused get NIA clean chit





Malegaon 2006 blasts


Rebecca Samervel TNN

Mumbai
: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) did not oppose the discharge pleas filed by nine accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case, in its reply filed before the special court on Thursday.

“It is submitted that the evidence collected by the NIA in further investigations is not in consonance with the evidence collected earlier by the ATS and the CBI. No evidence was found in support of the conclusion drawn in the final report filed by the ATS and a supplementary final report submitted by CBI recommending prosecution of …nine accused,” the reply stated. The court will pass
orders on the discharge applications on September 7. While two accused—Shaikh Mohammed Ali Alam Shaikh and Asif Khan—are also facing trial in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, the rest are out on bail.

On November 5, 2011, all nine were granted bail by special judge Yatin Shinde after the NIA did not oppose it. The state ATS had nabbed them claiming that they belonged to the banned Students Islamic Movement of India and aided a Pakistani national in executing the strike. The NIA took over the probe after Swami Aseemanand’s confession that a right-wing group was behind the blasts.


’06 MALEGAON BLASTS CASE
On September 8, 2006, three bombs go off as people gather at a cemetery for prayers. Another blast takes place at a residential area nearby

Explosions kill 31 and injure 297. ATS probes the case followed by CBI

Both agencies accuse nine persons—Noor-ul-Huda, Shabbir Masiullah, Raees Ahmed Ali, Salman Farsi, Farog Makhdoomi, Mohammed Ali,

Asif Bashir Khan, Zahid Majeed and Abrar Ahmed Saeed—of the blasts


The Times of India, August 30, 2013