2008 Malegaon blast case: Accused fined ₹10K for ‘wasting’ court’s time

Chaturvedi’s lawyer on Wednesday moved an application seeking direction to the investigating agencies to deposit the case diary maintained by investigating officer in the court.

The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Wednesday fined Sudhakar Chaturvedi, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case ₹10,000 for filing “frivolous” applications and “wasting” the court’s time.

Sudhakar Chaturvedi one of the accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, outside Session court in Mumbai in 2018. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

Chaturvedi’s lawyer on Wednesday moved an application seeking direction to the investigating agencies to deposit the case diary maintained by investigating officer in the court.

Special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal objected to the plea saying that the accused was not allowed access to these documents. He submitted that only the judge could see them and accordingly, whenever the court has asked for the diary, the prosecution had produced it. The accused had moved a similar application in 2016, which was rejected by the then special judge in the case, Rasal argued.

The court after hearing both sides held that the accused was delaying the trial by filing such applications and directed him to pay the fine of ₹10,000 within three days.

Chaturvedi’s lawyer had also sought a report of the narcotics test allegedly conducted on his client by the investigating officer after his arrest. The court has partly allowed the plea.