By TwoCircles.net staff Reporter,
Mumbai: In a recent development it has emerged that two victims of 2008 Malegaon blasts have filed applications before a special court seeking to intervene in the bail applications of five accused including Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Purohit.
Special court is hearing bail applications of five accused – Rakesh Dhawade, retired major Ramesh Upadhyay, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi alias Swami Amritanand Dev Tirth after it was constituted on the directions of Supreme Court.
While National Investigation Agency (NIA) has already opposed these bail applications but after the revelation made by former public prosecutor Rohini Salian that she was asked to go soft in the case by the superiors, two senior citizen who were injured in the blasts in 2008 are doubting genuineness of the agency and hence have themselves applied for intervention.
The court has asked prosecution as well as defense lawyers to file their say on both the applications.
Abdullah Jamaluddin, an 82-year-old Malegaon resident has filed application opposing the bail pleas of Purohit and Dwivedi.
His application states he was injured in the blast on September 29, 2008, which killed four people and that he had learned recently that a special MCOCA Court had been tasked by the Supreme Court to conduct daily hearings to dispose of bail applications filed by the accused.
“It is just and necessary and in the interest of justice that the present intervenor may be heard at the time of deciding the above mentioned bail applications and the intervenor may be allowed to be a party in the above said application,” Jamaluddin’s application reads.
Mohammed Hanif Shaikh Chand (63), the second applicant, opposed bail pleas filed by accused Dhawade, Upadhyay and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.
Citing the chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Chand’s application states that the accused “actively participated in the execution of the alleged offence”. Chand repeated his request to be made an intervenor “in the interest of justice”.
Both these victims are helped legally by the NGO Jamiat Ulama E Maharashtra. Jamiat has also petitioned the Supreme Court asking for a “free and fair trial” in the case following disclosures by then Public prosecutor of the case Rohini Salian that she had been asked by the NIA to “go soft” against the accused since the present government came to power. The petition is being heard by the Supreme Court and presently it has asked NIA, State and Central government to file their replies.
“The victims approached us to provide legal assistance in opposing bail applications as they are fearing NIA might not strongly oppose bail applications of the accused, “ Gulzar Azmi, Legal cell Secretary of Jamiat told TwoCircles.net.
“In the wake of disclosures made by Salian,” he told,” it is desirable that victims be represented during bail proceedings along with public prosecutor so that case may be rightly argued before court and hence we have extended our help to them”.