Posecutor says NIA asked to go soft in Malegaon case, agency

Kicking up a row, the Special Public Prosecutor in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case in which some Hindu extremists are accused alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had asked her to "go soft" in the case after the NDA Government assumed power, a charge the agency rejected as "incorrect".
Rohini Salian, the SPP in the case,alleged that she was approached by an NIA officer in person, apparently on instructions from "higher-ups".
"An NIA officer called me up and said he wanted to meet me. He then met me some time last year and asked me to go soft on the accused in this case," Salian told reporters here today.

"Again on June 12 this year, the same officer met me and conveyed orally that I was to be replaced by some other lawyer in this case. I told him to settle my bills and denotify me as a prosecutor in this case. However, till date, neither a notification has been issued about my replacement with some other lawyer nor my bills settled," she said.
Salian, however, declined to name the officer who met her.
Refuting the lawyer's allegation, the agency said it was completely incorrect to say that it had tried to create "impediments in her prosecution work" nor did any of its officer give her "inappropriate briefing."

"NIA completely denies the issuance of inappropriate briefing by any officer of the agency to the Spl. PP or creating impediments in her prosecution work of NIA cases she has been handling," a statement issued by the agency said.

On her contention that he is yet to be relieved of the assignment, NIA said the process of denotifying her in the case has already begun.
In the 2008 Malegaon blast case, 12 persons, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit, were arrested. Of these 12, four are on bail.
The NIA took over the case in 2011 and later three more accused were arrested. However, they were granted bail in the case by default as charge sheet was not filed against them.

The Malegaon blast on September 29, 2008 killed four persons and injured another 79. Investigations initially cast suspicion on the involvement of minority community in the incident. However, the probe under late Hemant Karkare, the then ATS Chief, suspected the involvement of right wing extremists and arrested Sadhvi Thakur and others.