Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad: Court likely to pronounce verdict today; terror attack had claimed 9 lives, injured 58

Hyderabad: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Hyderabad is expected to pronounce its judgment in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case, which claimed nine lives, on Monday. The fourth additional metropolitan sessions-cum-special court for NIA cases had concluded the trial and last week posted the case for judgment on 16 April. The blast at the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad on 18 May, 2007 during Friday prayers had also left 58 others injured. [caption id=“attachment_708764” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Mecca Masjid. AFP[/caption] After initial investigation by the local police, the case was transferred to the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI), which filed a chargesheet. Subsequently, the NIA took over the case from the CBI in 2011. Ten persons allegedly belonging to right-wing organisations were named as accused in the case. However, only five of them — Devendra Gupta, Lokesh Sharma, Swami Aseemanand alias Naba Kumar Sarkar, Bharat Mohanlal Rateshwar alias Bharat Bhai and Rajendra Chowdhary — were arrested and faced trial in the case. Two other accused — Sandeep V Dange and Ramchandra Kalsangra — are absconding, while another accused Sunil Joshi died. Investigations were on against two other accused. A total of 226 witnesses were examined during the trial and as many as 411 documents were exhibited. Swami Aseemanand and Bharat Mohanlal Rateshwar are out on bail, while three others are lodged in the central prison in Hyderabad under judicial remand. In March 2017, a court in Rajasthan had sentenced Gupta and another convict to life in jail in the Ajmer Dargah blast case.