2003 Parbhani blast case: Victim challenges acquittal of four accused

Hafeez Abdul Qadir, the original complainant in the case and imam of Mohammadiya Masjid, where the blast took place in 2003, claimed that the Nanded sessions court failed to consider material evidence against the accused.

The 2003 Parbhani blast victim moved the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court on Tuesday challenging the acquittal of the four accused.

Rakesh Dhawade (centre), one of the four accused in the 2003 Parbhani blast case, who is also an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, outside the MCOCA court. (HT FILE PHOTO)

Hafeez Abdul Qadir, the original complainant in the case and imam of Mohammadiya Masjid, where the blast took place in 2003, claimed that the Nanded sessions court failed to consider material evidence against the accused.

He has pleaded for quashing the acquittal order and asked for retrial of the case against the four acquitted accused — Maroti Keshwarao Wagh, Yogesh Ravindra Deshpande, Sanjay alias Bharauo Vittal Chowdhari and Rakesh Dhawade, who is also an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

The 2003 blast case was one of the two cases relied upon by the anti-terrorism squad of the Maharashtra police to invoke the stringent Act of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the 2008 Malegaon blast case accused.

However, earlier this year, the sessions court acquitted the accused on account of lack of evidence in the Parbhani blast case. Qadir, who has challenged this verdict, has in his appeal, said that the court failed to consider the evidence of hostile witnesses as per the law along with evidence for criminal conspiracy.

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