A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Wednesday acquitted four people, including main accused Swami Aseemanand, in the 2007 Samjhauta train bombing case.
Advocate Mukesh Garg, one of the counsel for Swami Aseemanand, told reporters that the court had acquitted all the accused as the prosecution was not able to prove the allegations.
“The court has said that the NIA has not been able to establish any charges against the accused,” said Mr. Garg.
The blasts on the Samjhauta Express, near Panipat, on February 18, 2007, and the subsequent fire in the coaches killed 68 passengers and injured a dozen. Those killed included Indian civilians and government officials, besides a large number of Pakistani nationals.
Apart from Aseemanand, a former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) member, the others acquitted were Kamal Chauhan, Rajinder Chaudhary and Lokesh Sharma. All the accused were present when the order was passed by NIA special judge Jagdeep Singh.
Earlier, the court dismissed an application filed by a Pakistani woman in connection with the case.
On March 11, Rahila Wakeel, a Pakistani national and daughter of one of the victims of the blasts, filed a petition through advocate Momin Malik, to get her statement recorded as witness in the 12-year-old case. NIA counsel Rajan Malhotra said the application was dismissed as the court ruled it was “devoid of any merit.”
