Mumbai, August 08:Agony of nine Muslim youths, arrested in the 2006 Malegaon blast that killed 38 people, is likely to end soon as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has decided not to oppose their bail plea when the case comes up for hearing next week in a special MCOCA court of Mumbai.
The Mumbai ATS had charged 13 Muslim youth in December 2006 of which nine – Mohammed Ali, Asif Khan, Javed Sheikh, Salman Farsi, Shabbir Ahmed, Noorulhuda Doha, Rais Ahmed, Dr. Faroogue Ansari and Abrar Ahmed – are in jail and four are absconding.
After taking over the case from the Mumbai ATS the CBI had also named them in their charge sheet of 2010. Despite swami Aseemanand’s confessional statement in February this year, which stated that the 2006 Malegaon blast was carried out by Hindutva extremists, a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court on March 15 had rejected the bail application of all the nine accused after it was opposed by the CBI.
“It would be premature to consider the bail application of the accused on the basis of evidence that is not a part of this case,” CBI prosecutor Raja Thakre had said then.
But as facts emergingnow are pointing that they were not involved in the blasts and in all probability it was the handiwork of Hindu extremists, the NIA has decided not oppose their bail plea.
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