26 April,2011 05:51 AM IST | | Kaumudi Gurjar
Special public prosecutor Thakare rubbishes reports of handover, calls them rumours
Refuting reports that the German Bakery blast case had been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), special public prosecutor Raja Thakare yesterday dismissed such talk as just rumours doing the rounds.
A special court yesterday deferred the framing of charges against arrested suspect Mirza Himayat Baig in the bomb blast case till June 7.
Waiting for justice: The German Bakery after the blast on February 13
last year. Seventeen people were killed in the terror attack. File pic
The blast on February 13 last year had killed 17 people and injured 64. Baig (29) of Udgir in Beed district was produced before the in-charge Special Judge S N Sardesai amid tight security. Sardesai told the prosecution and the defence lawyer, Advocate Abdul Rehman, that the blast case was transferred to the district court as Special Judge Usha Thakare, who was earlier conducting the trial, had been promoted and transferred.
The blast case was put for hearing before the District Judge for framing of charges against Baig. On the reports about NIA taking over the case, defence lawyer Rehman said, "If the NIA takes over the case, we'll move Baig's bail application, as the case will be reinvestigated and then there is no point in keeping Baig in jail till then."
The ATS had filed a chargesheet in the case on December 4. Recently, there were reports that Centre had transferred the case to the NIA, saying it was "unsolved" and there were loopholes in the Anti-Terrorism Squad investigation.
