Mecca Masjid Blast verdict: Swami Aseemanand and three others acquitted

Hyderabad: All accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid Blast that left nine dead and injuring 58 others have been acquitted by a Court here on Monday.The Court while delivering its verdict acquitted all the 10 accused including Swami Aseemanand, a former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) member who had given a signed confession.

The court said the National Investigation Agency(NIA), the top anti-terror body, had failed to prove anyone's guilt in the case.An Improvised Explosive Devise (IED) went off during prayers at the historic Mecca Masjid on May 18, 2007 , killing nine people and injuring several others. Later, Five others died in police firing near the Mosque.After initial investigation by the local police, the case was transferred to CBI which filed a chargesheet.

The NIA took over the case from the CBI in 2011. Given the highly sensitive background of the case, police have deployed nearly 200 police personnel including armed men in the city mainly at communally sensitive points.A total of 226 witnesses were examined during the trial and as many as 411 documents exhibited.
(UNI)