Swami Aseemanand moves NIA court for bail

PRIME accused in the Samjhauta blast case, Swami Aseemanand, on Saturday moved for bail with the special NIA court.

Aseemanand, who is one of the main accused in the 2007 train bombing, moved the bail application through his counsel, Nardev Sharma, before the Special NIA court of Kanchan Mahi here on Saturday. The special NIA court listed the case for hearing on March 1. The bail application was moved on the grounds that the NIA has wrongfuly held Aseemanand in the blast case.

Counsel for the accused, Nardev Sharma, said that the matter is being tried under the UAPA even though there was no provision within the Act for charging people in the collusion of terror cases. He said that the UAPA was amended only in the year 2008 and there was no making UAPA the basis of the charges against the 2007 bomb blast accused. The other contentions before the court are that the US government in a report had earlier stated that it was the handiwork of the LET militant outfit.

Sharma said that one of the wives of David Headley had even made an extra-judicial confession that she was being used by him to plant the bombs in the train.

Aseemanand was produced on Saturday, along with the other accused in the case, Kamal Chauhan and Rajendar Chaudhary, and their remand has been extended.

The production warrant against another accused Lokesh Sharma could not be executed on Saturday as he has been lodged at Mumbai jail in connection with the Malegaon blasts.

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