NIA refutes claims of prosecutor on Malegaon blasts case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday refuted charges that any of its officers inappropriately briefed special public prosecutor Rohini Salian to ‘go soft’ on the accused in the Malegaon blasts case as reported by the Indian Express on Thursday.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday refuted charges that any of its officers inappropriately briefed special public prosecutor Rohini Salian to ‘go soft’ on the accused in the Malegaon blasts case as reported by the Indian Express on Thursday.

Salian confirmed to HT on Thursday that she was “approached twice by an NIA officer to go slow on the case. And last week I was asked not to appear in the case. But I am yet to get any official communication.”

Salian refused to comment further and said, “Apart from that I have nothing more to say. You should ask the NIA.”

According to the initial probe of the Maharashtra police, Hindu extremists had carried out a bomb blasts in the Maharashtra city, killing seven persons on September, 29, 2008. Later, the case was handed over to the NIA.

The federal anti-terror agency said Salian’s name was on the list of prosecutors to be denotified from appearing for the NIA cases as she was completing five years on August 31.

“We received a recommendation from our Mumbai branch on June 16 that Salian, along with another special prosecutor, should be removed from the panel of special counsels. Salian may have got wind of the move and that’s why she is kicking up a controversy now,” said a senior NIA official, on the condition of anonymity.