Home ministry justifies bail in Mecca Masjid blast

The home ministry on Tuesday justified the bail granted to two accused in the Mecca Masjid blast of May 2007.

"The government did not find it fit to challenge the order dated March 21, 2014, whereby bail was granted to the two accused in the Mecca Masjid blast case of May 2007," Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said in a written reply to a question by Asaduddin Owaisi in the Lok Sabha.

Devender Gupta and Lokesh Sharma were given bail "on grounds of parity since the orders dated June 3, 2012 and June 27, 2013, whereby bail was granted to Bharat Mohan Lal alias Bharat Bhai and Tejaram Parmar had not been challenged by the prosecution".

"However, both the accused continue to be in jail as they are also accused in other cases where they have been denied bail," he said.

Nine people were killed in the blast during Friday prayers at the 17th century mosque in Hyderabad on May 18, 2007. Five people died in subsequent police firing on protestors near the mosque.