Srinagar: All the accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast which claimed nine lives were acquitted on Monday by a special National Investigation Agency court in Hyderabad, Times of India reported.
According to report 10 persons allegedly belonging to right-wing organisations were named as the accused in the case.
“Only five of them — Devendra Gupta, Lokesh Sharma, Swami Aseemanand alias Naba Kumar Sarkar, Bharat Mohanlal Rateshwar alias Bharat Bhai and Rajendra Chowdhary – were arrested and faced trial in the case,” report says.
According to ToI report two accused Swami Aseemanand and Bharat Mohanlal Rateshwar are out on bail while three others are lodged in the central prison in Hyderabad under judicial remand. Two other accused — Sandeep V Dange and Ramchandra Kalsangra — are absconding while another accused Sunil Joshi died. Investigations were continuing against two other accused.
The blast at the historic Mecca Masjid on May 18, 2007 during Friday prayers had left 58 wounded as well.
“After initial investigation by the local police, the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation which filed a charge sheet. Subsequently, the NIA took over the case from the CBI in 2011,” report reads.
