HC dismisses PIL seeking action against ATS in Malegaon case

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court today dismissed a public interest litigation demanding probe against the police officers who investigated the 2006 Malegaon blasts case (before National Investigation Agency took over) for wrongly implicating innocent Muslim youths. The division bench headed by Justice P V Hardas held that petitioner had no locus standi (right to be heard) in the case as he was not related to any of the blast victims, or the accused.

The bench also refused to order departmental inquiry against the officers of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, saying that the trial court had yet to decide discharge applications filed by the original accused arrested by ATS. Advocate General Darius Khambata had argued that the PIL should be dismissed as it was “premature and misconceived”. The trial was held up because of discharge applications filed by five of the nine accused. Instead of seeking expeditious trial, they were seeking discharge and thereby delaying the trial, he said. Petitioner Ameen Idrisi, president of NGO Muslim-e-Hind, had alleged that ATS framed up nine Muslims, and its case against them was later discredited by the NIA, which blames a Hindu extremist outfit for the blasts. The PIL had sought probe by a special investigation team against certain ATS officers. The blasts in Malegaon on September 8, 2006 killed 37 persons and injured 125. Most of the victims were Muslim pilgrims.

PTI