Nine accused file bail plea after Aseemanand's statement

Mumbai, Jan 17 (IBNS): The Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in Nashik has received bail applications from nine alleged Islamic terrorists charged in the 2006 Malegaon blast case.

The accused have cited Swami Aseemanand's confession where the Hindu extremist leader admitted to the role of right-wing activists in the attack that killed about 37 people and left over a hundred injured.

Aseemanand, who was arrested on Nov 19 for his alleged involvement in the Ajmer, Hyderabad and Samjhauta Express blasts, faces the charge of leading Malegaon and Samjhauta Express bombings.

The confessions, purportedly to a magistrate at a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court, were published by the Tehelka magazine.

In their bail plea, the nine alleged Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) members have said that there was "no direct evidence" of their involvement in the incident and have been serving jail time for the past four years over a "forcibly taken confession statement".

The court has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad to file their replies by the date of the next hearing - Jan 28.

Source: India Blooms News Service