2006 Malegaon blasts: Trial to start soon
The special MCOCA court is set to start trial in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case and has issued production warrants to two accused lodged in Ambala jail in Haryana.
The special MCOCA court is set to start trial in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case and has issued production warrants to two accused lodged in Ambala jail in Haryana.
“The court has issued production warrants to Ambala jail to produce Lokesh Sharma and Rajendra Chaudhary before the court to frame the charges in the case and begin trial,” said special public prosecutor, Prakash Shetty.
The special court has now scheduled the case on October 14, when if the accused are produced the court would begin the trial in the case.
Meanwhile, the Bombay high court, while hearing the bail application of another accused, Dhan Singh, has asked for the status report on the trial. Dhan Singh had moved the high court after his bail plea was rejected by the special court. The special court has to now submit a report on status of the trial by October 7.
Presently, four accused namely, Lokesh Sharma, Dhan Singh, Manohar Singh and Rajendra Choudhary, booked by NIA, are facing the trial for their role in the 2006 Malegaon blasts. The special judge V V Patil had discharged the 11 accused, booked by the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad earlier this year.
The investigation was transferred to NIA on April 6, 2011, after Swami Aseemanand confessed before a court that the 2006 Malegaon blasts was actually the handiwork of a Hindu group. The special court has recently discharged all the Muslim accused arrested by state ATS.
The NIA in their chargesheet claimed that their probe was based on the confession of Swami Aseemanand who claimed that Sunil Joshi had once informed him that the 2006 Malegaon blast was done by them. Joshi, was a key accused in the Samjhauta blasts case and the 2008 Malegaon blasts case and was later allegedly murdered. The agency further claimed that bombs were planted by these four accused who are now facing trial.