Mecca Masjid blast case verdict today

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Hyderabad on Monday will pronounce its verdict in the sensational Mecca Masjid attack which was allegedly carried out by a group of right-wing terrorists 11 years ago on May 18, 2007.

The NIA Special Court at Nampally had concluded the hearing and will pronounce the judgment in the case which claimed nine lives.

The blast which took place at the Mecca Masjid which is adjacent to the historic Charminar in the Old City during Friday prayers had left 58 injured.

The judgment will decide the complicity of five of the 10 accused charge-sheeted in the case.

The NIA took over the case from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2011, in which ten persons allegedly belonging to right-wing organisations were named as accused.

However, only five of them were arrested and faced trial in the case. The accused arrested are - Devendra Gupta, Lokesh Sharma, Swami Aseemanand, Bharat Mohanlal Rateshwar and Rajendra Chowdhary.

Two other accused- Sandeep V Dange and Ramchandra Kalsangra- are absconding, while one of the accused, Sunil Joshi of Madhya Pradesh, was murdered while the case was being investigated.

(ANI)