By IANS,
Mumbai: All the nine accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts Monday moved a special court seeking bail following the confession of arrested Hindutva leader Swami Aseemanand indicating involvement of right-wing Hindu groups in the case. They have spent four years in jail.
In their bail application before a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) special court, the accused have claimed that it is clear that those responsible for the 2006 Malegaon blasts are persons far removed from the (current) accused.
They pointed out that although there is no direct evidence of their involvement in the offence and based on forced confessionals, they have spent four years in jail.
Swami Aseemanand, nabbed last November for his alleged involvement in the Mecca Masjid blasts of 2007, had said in a confession last month about the involvement of a Hindu rightist group in the Malegaon 2006 blasts.
The Sep 8, 2006 blasts killed 37 people and injured at least 100 others when three explosions went off in quick succession after the Friday afternoon prayers near the Bada Kabrastan in the minority dominated powerloom town.
Finally, the police nabbed nine people as accused in the crime – Salman Farsi, Shabir Ahmed, Noorulhuda Doha, Rais Ahmed, Mohammed Ali, Asif Khan, Javed Sheikh, Dr Faroogue Ansari and Abrar Ahmed, and three months later, the case was taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Acting on an application by the CBI, the MCOCA court last week directed the agency to re-investigate the case.
Monday’s bail application hearing will come up for further hearing Jan 28.