NIA issues warrant against Malegaon blast accused

Mumbai: A Special National Investigation (NIA) court in the city issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Swami Dayanand Pandey, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

NIA counsel Avinash Rasal last month moved an application to issue a NBW against Pandey because the latter failed to attend several court hearings after being released on bail. However, the court kept pending the said application. On Wednesday, Pandey’s counsel informed the court that he was now residing in Jammu and that he was not getting tickets to come to Mumbai. The counsel also informed that chaturmas (Hindu religious months) was currently going on and that Pandey wanted to do certain pujas this month so he should be allowed to remain present during the last days of September. While advocate Rasal said that Pandey was trying to delay trial and that his request should be declined, another accused in the Malegaon blast case, Shrikant Prasad Purohit, requested the court that charges should not be framed against him.

Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Padalkar, while rejecting his plea, told him that after the direction of the HC, this court had been created to hear the 2008 Malegaon blast case and that the HC had also directed this court to expedite the procedure and conclude the case as early as possible. Judge Padalkar also said that there was no specific stay granted by the HC on further procedure in this case. The court then directed all the accused to remain present on September 5 for the framing of charges procedure.  

Seven people were killed and hundred others injured in a bomb blast on September 29, 2008, at Malegaon.