Samjhauta Express Blast Case: Accuse Aseemanand, 3 others acquitted by NIA Court
All four accused in Samjhauta Express Blast Case- Swami Aseemanand, Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan and Rajinder Chaudhary have been acquitted by Special NIA Court in Panchkula. Swami Aseemanand alias Naba Kumar Sarkar was the prime accused in the case.
The Special NIA court also dismissed the plea seeking permission for deposition of Pakistani witnesses in the case. The plea was filed by a Pakistan resident Rahila Wakil on March 11 through advocate Momin Malik.
Aseemanand and other three accused Kamal Chauhan, Rajinder Chaudhary and Lokesh Sharma, are currently in Central Jail Ambala.
Samjhauta Blast Case: All four accused -Aseemanand, Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan and Rajinder Chaudhary have been acquitted by Special NIA Court in Panchkula pic.twitter.com/9urDpWm87r
— ANI (@ANI) March 20, 2019
At least 68 people were killed in the 2007 Samjhauta Express IED blasts, wherein 10 were Indians. According to reports, total 43 Pakistan citizens were killed in the terror attack.
Earlier, Aseemanand was acquited in twin balst case of Mecca Masjid and Ajmer Dargah. As per the reports of the NIA, Aseemanand had been the main support of the ideological behind the conspiracy and was the financial advisor for the overall operation. He even provided shelter to the co-accused, as claimed by the National Investigative Agency.
Also read: 2002 Godhra riots: Convict Yakkub Patadiya awarded life imprisonment
First published: 20 March 2019, 18:03 IST