INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Swami Aseemanand, one of the 10 accused in the Mecca Masjid blast is out on bail
related to the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast which claimed nine lives.The fourth additional metropolitan sessions-cum-special court for NIA cases
had concluded the trial and last week posted the case to April 16 for judgement.The blast at the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad on May
18, 2007 during Friday prayers had also left 58 others injured.After initial investigation by the local police, the case was transferred to
CBI, which filed a chargesheet.Subsequently, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the case from the CBI in 2011.Ten persons
allegedly belonging to right wing organisations were named as accused in the case.However, only five of them -- Devendra Gupta, Lokesh
Sharma, Swami Aseemanand alias Naba Kumar Sarkar, Bharat Mohanlal Rateshwar alias Bharat Bhai and Rajendra Chowdhary -- who were arrested
had faced trial in the case.Two other accused -- Sandeep V Dange and Ramchandra Kalsangra -- are absconding while another accused Sunil
Joshi had died.Investigations were continuing against two other accused.A total of 226 witnesses were examined during the trial and as many
as 411 documents exhibited.Swami Aseemanand and Bharat Mohanlal Rateshwar are out on bail while three others have been lodged in the Central
prison in Hyderabad under judicial remand.In March 2017, a court in Rajasthan had sentenced Devendra Gupta and others to life in jail in the
