Opposition NCP leaders tried to corner the state government in the Assembly on Thursday over an issue in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, in which seven statements of witnesses recorded in the presence of a magistrate and admissible as evidence have gone missing from the Special NIA court. Finally, the deputy speaker of the house Rahul Bondre directed the government to make a statement on the issue.
NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad raised the issue that a newspaper report said that the vital papers related to the Malegaon blast case in which Sadhvi Pragya Singh and Colonel Purohit are accused are missing. “Then public prosecutor Rohini Salian said that she had given the papers to another special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal before the NIA officials. It is a serious matter and the government should speak on the issue,” Mr Awhad demanded.
Taking up the issue further, NCP group leader Jayant Patil said that the government should reply to it as it was the responsibility of the home department to take care of the papers. “How come police could not take care of the property in possession of the court The former public prosecutor Rohini Salian has said that the papers were handed over to another official and now it has went missing. What the government is doing to get back those papers ” he asked.
The ruling members objected to the matter being raised in the Assembly, as it was pertaining to the court. Revenue minister Eknath Khadse said the matter was subjudice and cannot be discussed in the
House. But the opposition was not ready to listen to the issue and kept pressing for a reply from the government.
Finally, deputy speaker of the house, Rahul Bondre asked the government to make a statement on the issue and clarify its side.
