A gangster's court in Allahabad has ordered the framing of charges against Samajwadi Party MLA (Gyanpur) Vijay Mishra and 15 others in connection with the bomb attack on former state cabinet minister Nand Gopal Nandi in July, 2010.
Mr. Nandi's personal guard Rakesh Malviya and the Allahabad correspondent of an English daily, Vijay Pratap Singh were killed in the attack, while Mr. Nandi and two others were seriously injured.
Special Judge Viqar Ahmed Ansari ordered the framing of charges against Mr. Mishra and 15 others under Section 302, 307, 429, 427, 120 B of the Indian Penal Code, and 7 Criminal Law Amendment Act and Section 3/5 of Explosives Act and Section 2/3 of Uttar Pradesh Gangsters Act.
The court had earlier on several occasions expressed displeasure over the delay in framing charges as most of the accused in the case would not appear before court.
The court also said that the main accused Anand Sandhilya alias Rajesh Pilot admitted that he had colluded with Mr. Mishra in executing the bomb attack.
Mr. Mishra, who was in August granted bail by the Allahabad High Court after he had spent a year-and-a-half in judicial custody in connection with the attack, had on the day of his release denied Pilot's allegations, terming them as "lies."
The court also took serious note of the death of a stray dog in the attack and ordered framing charges under IPC Section 429, which deals with injuring or maiming of animals by humans.
The Jugde instructed the Investigating Officer Narayan Singh Parihar to submit evidence in connection with the case. The next hearing is scheduled for December 20.
