New Delhi: It was 2007 terror attack in Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid during the Friday Prayers that claimed nine lives, yet the accused walked out freely.
The five accused in the case walked out freely on Monday after the prosecutor who has links with ruling BJP party failed to prove the charges against the guilty, NDTV reported.
Speaking of the Prosecutor in-charge of the case, Mr N Harinath, is revealed to be closely associated with the ruling BJP along with being an active member of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), both groups who are directly linked to each other through ideology group RSS, while he was studying at Osmania University.
He was also supported by BJP when was contesting for the Telangana bar council elections.
According to Telangana lawyers, Mr Harniath was incompetent for lacking any knowledge related to terror cases and had very little experience in criminal law, yet, he was given such an important terror attack case.
The accused walked free because the prosecutor and NIA failed to produce evidence which led to their acquittal.
Mr Harinath, maintains he was competent enough to handle the terror attack since he had previously worked for the Enforcement Directorate’s economic offences and also appeared for CBI in bank fraud cases, attempt to murder, abetment in suicides but none of the cases Mr Harinath had previously worked for are related to terror attacks.
According to the special prosecutors Ujjwal Nikam and Amrendra Sharan, knowledge of murder trial especially in terror investigation such as Mecca Masjid blast is a compulsory requirement to deal with terror cases.
“10 years’ practice is necessary. And so is the experience of conducting a criminal trial,” said special prosecutor Nikam speaking to NDTV.
The special prosecutors now raised questions on the hiring of the Mr Harinath with no expertise in terror cases and yet was appointed to take up the Mecca Masjid terror attack.
The Telangana bar association lawyers also said, Mr. Harinath had not handled any high-profile criminal cases and was only known in local circles as an “ABVP and BJP man”.
Mr Harinath however dismissed what his colleagues are claiming. He said,”My ex-ABVP association has nothing to do with my role as Special PP. I did my job my placing before the court all the evidence on record.”
Lawyer Mohammed Lateef Khan, who represents a civil liberties group, alleges that Mr Harinath was deliberately appointed to weaken the case since he has no previous experience in dealing criminal experience or even any expertise in terror attack cases.
“This advocate was brought in by the BJP government with malafide intentions and to see that the accused persons get acquittal. When the prosecution didn’t bring any evidence, what can the court do?” Mr Khan asked.
The 11-year-old case was previously represented Mr Rama Rao until Mr Harinath was appointed by the NIA in 2015.
The case was investigated by three investigating agencies, where the Congress government has cited the attack as an example of “saffron terror”, with the main accused in the crime Swami Aseemanand as the main conspirator in not just this attack but also in at least two more.
The ruling party successfully crashed the case and demanded an apology from the Congress Government.
The crucial signed confession evidence by Swami Aseemanand, who is a former member of the ideology Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) wing reportedly went missing last month.