Mecca Masjid case: NIA unlikely to go in appeal

The National Investigation Agency is unlikely to file an appeal in the Mecca Masjid blasts case. All five accused were acquitted in the case for want of evidence.

The NIA continues to ponder over whether to file an appeal in the case or not. Sources in the agency say that it is unlikely they may go in appeal as the evidence in the case is very flimsy.

The NIA took over the probe in 2011 after both the Andhra Pradesh police and the CBI had investigated the matter. The NIA examined over 200 witnesses while 411 documents were exhibited.

The case was a non-starter and relied heavily on a confessional statement given by Swami Aseemanand. He, however, retracted his statement later in court. Moreover, several witnesses turned hostile in the case.

The case also had several twists and turns. When the AP police first probed the case, it had blamed the HuJi for the blasts. There are 100 youth who were taken in for questioning and 21 were charged.

Following this, the case was then handed over to the CBI which claimed that a Hindu terror group was behind the blasts. In 2011, the case was handed over to the NIA which filed a charge sheet in the case.