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All saffron terror cases to be shifted to NIA soon
The home ministry will issue formal orders transferring all saffron terrorism cases to the National Investigation Agency by next week. Aloke Tikku reports.
The home ministry will issue formal orders transferring all saffron terrorism cases to the National Investigation Agency by next week.
As reported by HT, government sources said the orders would be issued in line with the in-principle decision taken by the ministry to ensure that the multiple probes into the cases do not pull in different directions and bring down the prosecution cases at the trial stage.
Of the seven cases linked to right-wing extremists, the September 2006 Malegaon blasts and May 2007 Mecca Masjid blast cases are being probed by CBI. The October 2007 Ajmer Sharif blast case is being probed by the Rajasthan ATS. The Maharashtra ATS, on the other hand, is investigating the September 2008 blasts in Malegaon.
The BJP-Madhya Pradesh police - which was investigating former RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi's murder - had staunchly opposed the move, prompting the Centre to go slow.
The plan was revived last month, days after HT reported how investigators from different agencies were working at cross-purposes and putting the chances of a successful prosecution at risk.
The Centre has the powers to transfer the terror cases under the NIA Act. "There is no alternative to a single investigating agency since the cases are related," a government official said.
"Everyone tells us that Joshi was the main figure in at least four terrorist cases including the Samjhauta blast," the official said, adding their probes would be incomplete without investigating his murder.
Joshi was shot dead at Dewas in December 2007.
