NIA decision almost makes SPP quit

The manner in which the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed the chargesheet in the Malegaon blast on Friday could have cost them their special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal as he had made up his mind to resign from the post. However, he agreed to stay on after they apologised to him.

Mr Rasal, the NIA prosecutor was deeply upset when the agency filed the chargesheet on Friday without informing him about the same. He was so displeased that he left the court soon after the chargesheet was filed.

“I was not informed till last moment that the NIA is filing chargesheet. I had stated before the court that NIA would file the chargesheet by the end of this month because after speaking to officers I was under impression that NIA would file report by the end of this month,” said Mr Rasal. By evening an angry Mr Rasal had announced that soon he was going to resign from the case. However, he changed his mind after NIA officers apologised to him. “I am not resigning as NIA officials have said sorry to me. Matter is pacified for now,” he said.

Had advocate Rasal resigned from the case he would have become the second lawyer who resigned from the case. Before Mr Rasal, special public prosecutor Rohini Salian had resigned, alleging that the NIA asked him to go slow against the accused in the case.

Though the chargehseet filed by the NIA on Friday gave clean chit to Sadhvi and five others, only two accused were discharged from the case. After filing of chargesheet NIA prosecutor Geeta Godambe filed an application under section 169 of CrPC requesting to court to discharge Lokesh Sharma and Dhan Singh Choudhury from the case as both were arrested by the NIA but the agency could not find any evidence against them.

Accepting their application, the special judge Shripad Tekale discharged both the accused.