You can support quality journalism by turning off ad blocker or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to The Hindu. Much of these court decisions have arguably resulted from the NIA’s softening stance against the accused. We have been keeping you up-to-date with information on the developments in India and the world that have a bearing on our health and wellbeing, our lives and livelihoods, during these difficult times. Twenty-one of them were chargesheeted, the Following this, the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which investigated the bombings for around two years. Abdul Shahid, a Hyderabadi youngster, got the terror attack carried out operating from Pakistan or Bangladesh.Shahid’s role proved to be false and he was eventually got killed in Pakistan. A special NIA court today acquitted all ten accused in the Mecca Masjid blasts case. Two more live IEDs were found and defused by the police. All the investigative agencies concluded that the The NIA named Aseemanand, a former RSS activist, as the kingpin of the Mecca Masjid blast and accused ten people in the case: Devender Gupta, Lokesh Sharma, Sandeep Dange and Ramachandra Kalsangra (both former RSS activists who are still absconding), Sunil Joshi (murdered in 2007), Aseemanand, Bharat Mohanlal Rateshwar (an employee in a private firm), Rajender Chowdhary (a farmer), Tejram Parmar and Amit Chouhan.Out of the ten, five – Gupta, Sharma, Aseemanand, Rateshwar and Chowdhary – were arrested. On 18 May 2007, a bomb exploded inside the Makkah Masjid during Friday prayers, killing at least thirteen people and injuring dozens more. It’s a support for truth and fairness in journalism. As a subscriber, you are not only a beneficiary of our work but also its enabler.We also reiterate here the promise that our team of reporters, copy editors, fact-checkers, designers, and photographers will deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda. The abrupt removal of Pratibha Ambedkar, the officer-in-charge of the case who was transferred two weeks ago, raises further questions about the conduct of the NIA.The NIA’s role in investigating the cases related to Hindutva terror has been doubtful, with many suggesting that the Modi government was trying to pressurise the NIA to “go soft” on the cases during the trial.Soon after the 2007 blast, the police suspected the role of a Pakistan-based Islamist group, Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (HuJI), but investigations over the next few years pointed at the possible role of Hindutva organisations.Subsequently, fringe Hindutva organisations like Abhinav Bharat were held responsible for a series of blasts that took place between 2006 to 2008. Later, it was transferred to Central Bureau of Investigation.In December, 2010, the CBI had filed charge-sheet against Guptha and Sharma. “He was accompanied by many top RSS functionaries.

Unfavourable orders [were] invited — that goes against society,” she told the Although the NIA denied her allegations almost immediately, Salian filed an affidavit in the court reiterating the same.
Credit: Caravan magazineOver the last few years, the NIA has received a lot of flak for going slow on cases that link Hindutva organisations to blasts.
Along with them, the CBI had named four others in Mecca masjid blast case.Eventually, the case was handed over to NIA.

Among investigators, the opinion to appeal was very strong,” officials in Hyderabad, who spoke on condition of anonymity, were Similarly, the top investigative agency was accused of sabotaging the Malegaon blast case.

A pipe bomb exploded in Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid during the Friday prayers on May 18, 2007. Subscribe to The Hindu now and get unlimited access. In an interview to “Indreshji met me at Shabri Dham (Aseemanand’s ashram in the Dangs district of Gujarat) sometime in 2005,” Aseemanand told the magistrate. Recently, in March 2017, Gupta and Joshi Aseemanand and Rateshwar were granted bail in 2017, while three others were put under judicial remand.

To enable wide dissemination of news that is in public interest, we have increased the number of articles that can be read free, and extended free trial periods. Five more people were killed in police firing when a rioting mob went berserk at the site. "The prosecution failed to prove allegations against the five accused who faced trial in the case and hence the court acquitted them," PTI reported Aseemanand's counsel J P Sharma as telling reporters after the verdict. Five days ahead of Mecca masjid blast ninth anniversary, the NIA had decided to drop charges against Sharma along with five others including Pragya Singh Thakur in Malegaon blasts … At this difficult time, it becomes even more important that we have access to information that has a bearing on our health and well-being, our lives, and livelihoods.

Printable version | Aug 15, 2020 12:47:59 AM | https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/mecca-masjid-blast-case-gets-more-complex/article8613515.ece