NEW DELHI: A court in Nanded in central Maharashtra on Saturday acquitted the nine surviving accused in a 2006 blast case, with a defense lawyer claiming the prosecution had failed to prove the incident was a bomb blast. .
The detailed ruling has not yet been published. Of the 12 defendants in the case, two died in the explosion and one died during the trial.
Earlier on Saturday, District and Additional Sessions Judge CV Marathe acquitted the remaining nine accused, according to news agency PTI.
Between April 4 and 5, 2006, an explosion occurred at the residence of Laxman Rajkondwar, allegedly associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, in Nanded town.
Investigators claimed that Rajkondwar’s son Naresh Rajkondwar and Vishva Hindu Parishad activist Himanshu Panse They were killed while allegedly assembling an explosive device.
Initially investigated by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Defense lawyer Nitin Runwal claimed that 49 prosecution witnesses gave evidence during the trial.
The prosecution could not prove that the incident was a “bomb explosion” and not an explosion caused by a gas cylinder or other flammable object, the defense lawyer told PTI.
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