The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday distanced itself from the controversy surrounding the political leanings of its public prosecutor N. Harinath.
Mr. Harinath represented the NIA in a special court in Hyderabad in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case, which saw the acquittal of five accused , including former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh member Swami Aseemanand .
NIA Director General Y.C. Modi said the agency was yet to get a copy of the judgment. “I cannot comment [on challenging the acquittal] till I see the copy of the judgment,” he said adding that he was not in a position to comment on the allegations surrounding the political backing of Mr. Harinath.
A former member of the RSS’ student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Mr. Harinath was engaged by the NIA in 2015. He had no experience in representing a terror case but appeared for the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate in cases of financial fraud.
Hours after pronouncing the judgement in the case, NIA special court judge K. Ravinder Reddy resigned on Monday. There were reports that the CBI was investigating a bribery case allegedly involving a bail order given by him.
The court acquitted the accused as the prosecution failed to prove its case.
NIA SP prematurely repatriated to U.P.
On April 6, NIA Superintendent of Police Pratibha Ambedkar, who supervised the case, was relieved from the agency and prematurely repatriated to Uttar Pradesh. She is a 2007 batch IPS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
The others acquitted on Monday are Devendra Gupta, Lokesh Sharma, Bharath Mohanlal Rateshwar and Rajendra Choudhary. Gupta was convicted for the 2007 Ajmer Dargah blast last year.
Swami Aseemanand walked out of jail in March 2017 after he was granted bail by the Hyderabad court.
The NIA challenged the bail but he was allowed by the court to leave Hyderabad.
Swami Aseemanand was first arrested by the CBI in the Mecca Masjid case in 2010 and the case was then transferred to the NIA.
