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Malegaon blast: Accused urges court for regular case hearing
Addressing the media persons at Patrakar Sangh, Pune, Kulkarni demanded justice and said the he is innocent and is being framed by the investigative agencies
Sameer Kulkarni, one of the accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case,on Monday, demanded a regular hearing of the case and alleged that the lawyers of the other co-accused are delaying the case. The Supreme Court had earlier directed the court to conduct the speedy trial of the case.
Addressing the media persons at Patrakar Sangh, Pune, Kulkarni demanded justice and said the he is innocent and is being framed by the investigative agencies. “The 2008 Malegaon blast case is being handled by the successive government according to their political convenience. I have been suffering for 11 years. The lawyers of the other co-accused are delaying the case which is affecting the hearing. This inturn is hampering the discharge of justice and I am a victim of this,” alleged Kulkarni.
Kulkarni further said that both, the anti-terrorism squad and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken different positions before the court. “Both the agencies have conducted investigations according to the political convenience. The day-to-day hearing of the case must begin at the earliest. The final decision can only be made after Col Purohit is suspended from his service,” said Kulkarni.
Kulkarni on August 31 opposed the NIA’s plea to have an in-camera trial and said that the names and identities of the key witnesses whose statements were recorded before the magistrate, was already revealed in 2009. The accused in this case have been charged under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The charges range from sections 16 (committing terrorist act) and 18 (conspiring to commit terrorist act) of the UAPA and sections 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 153 (a) (promoting enmity between two religious groups) of the IPC.
