Friday, May 10, 2024 | Last Update : 12:08 AM IST
Malegaon bomb blast: Bail plea of 4 accused rejected
Observing that there appears to be prima facie evidence available against the accused to conduct the trial, a special NIA court on Monday rejected the bail application filed by four Hindu accused in t
Observing that there appears to be prima facie evidence available against the accused to conduct the trial, a special NIA court on Monday rejected the bail application filed by four Hindu accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blast case. The applicants had filed for bail after the court had discharged a set of nine Muslim accused, who were also arrested in the same case.
Manor Singh, Rajendra Chaudhry, Dhan Singh and Lokesh Sharma had filed the bail applications. However, special NIA judge V.V. Patil rejected all the four pleas.
The applicants had argued that they have been falsely implicated in the case and there is no concrete evidence against them. The defence lawyers alleged that the entire case made by the prosecution against the applicants is based on imagination.
According to the defence, many objects that were recovered from the applicants are easily available in markets and its recovery does not indicate that they were involved in the blast or were planning to carry out one.
They had further claimed that many things NIA claimed to have recovered from the accused were easily available in the market and on the basis of this recovery it cannot be said that they were involved in the blast.
But the prosecution held that there was ample evidence against the accused in the case, which is serious in nature and so they should not be granted bail.
The judge in his order said that bearing in mind the nature of the crime and the charges levelled against the accused, they do not deserve bail.
The blast was first probed by the ATS, which had arrested nine Muslim accused on the basis of alleged links with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). The case was later handed over to the CBI, which endorsed the ATS investigation. However on April 6, 2011, the NIA was handed over the case after Swami Aseemanand confessed involvement of the right wing terror group of the serial 2006 Malegaon blasts.
The bombs were planted in a bicycle and it exploded immediately after Friday’s prayers near Hamidia mosque near Bada Kabrastan, killing 38 and injuring 100 others.
