Malegaon case: NIA gets 20 more days to file charge sheet

A day before the deadline to file the supplementary charge sheet in 2006 Malegaon blast case was to end; the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday gave the agency an extension of 20 days.

A day before the deadline to file the supplementary charge sheet in 2006 Malegaon blast case was to end; the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday gave the agency an extension of 20 days.

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The NIA had in December 2012 arrested Rajendra Chaudhary and Manohar Singh for the roles in the Malegaon blasts. The deadline to file the charge sheet against the two accused was to end on Wednesday. However, the agency on Tuesday moved the court for an extension of up to 45 days.

Special public prosecutor Rohini Salian argued that NIA is awaiting important details before filing the charge sheet, and hence NIA should be given 45 days more to file it.

Advocates JP Mishra and Prashant Maggu, who appeared for the two accused, objected to an extension. The court has, however, given the agency 20 more days to file the charge sheet.

The accused in the Malegaon blast case are also key accused in the 2007 Samjautha Express blast case. NIA claimed that both Singh was among those who had planted bombs in Malegaon.

The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had initially arrested nine people and blamed Lashkar-e-Taiba and banned organisation Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) for the blast. There was no mention of the involvement of a right wing group in the Malegaon blasts until the NIA took over the investigation.