Ten years after a series of bomb blasts killed 37 people in Malegaon, a special court on Monday dropped charges against eight accused due to lack of evidence against them.
The accused, including two doctors, were discharged by V V Patil, designated judge trying cases under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Six of them are already out on bail, while two have been convicted in the Mumbai 7/11 train blast case.
The serial bomb blasts outside a cemetry near Hamidia Mosque at Malegaon, near Nashik, on September 8, 2006, also left over 100 persons injured.
Bombs were planted on bicycles parked near the cemetry and they went off after Friday prayers at the Mosque on the occasion of Shab-e-Baraat.
Hailing the verdict, Farok Makhdoom, a doctor and an accused who argued personally in the court, said, "I was never scared of conviction because I am innocent. There was lot of evidence to prove that I was not involved in the case."
Nine accused, suspected to have links with Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), were initially arrested in the case and chargesheeted by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS). One of them died while the case was pending. Four others, including a Pakistan national, are absconding.
Later, CBI, which took over investigations, also confirmed the charges against them. Subsequently, in 2011, NIA was asked to probe the case and the agency arrested another set of people belonging to the majority community, who continue to be accused in the case.
However, the case took a turn when Swami Assemanand, an accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjis bombing case, allegedly revealed to the probe agency about the role of a Hindu right wing outfit in the 2006 Malagaon blasts case.
Thereafter, NIA told the court that it had no evidence against the nine accused in the case. Another serial blasts had rocked Malegaon in 2008 in which ATS led by late Hemant Karkare allegedly found the involvement of a Hindu right wing outfit.
Hearing the 2006 case, the judge said that he was accepting the discharge application filed by the 8 accused as there was no evidence to prove their guilt. All the eight accused discharged from the case were on bail and had come to the court today to hear the verdict on their plea.
As soon as the judge pronounced the order, tears trickled down their cheeks and faces brightened up with smile and hugged their kith and kin who were accompanying them.
With PTI Inputs.
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