Prosecution tried framing accused: Court

Court snubs prosecution's argument | Calls claim of bomb recovery 'creation of a story'

Mere recovery of literature and communications relating to some right-wing groups cannot be construed as a conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, a Maharashtra court noted while acquitting nine persons, accused of having RSS and VHP links, in the Nanded blast case.

Nanded district and additional sessions judge CV Marathe also observed that the prosecution's claim of recovery of live bombs from the blast site was the "creation of a story" to implicate the accused which miserably failed to prove the offence.

The defence had contended that the matter was "a classic case of false implication to portray Hindu terrorism".

Altogether 13 accused were charge-sheeted in the case. While two of them died at the blast site, one of them was discharged by the Bombay High Court. Another accused died during the course of the trial.

An explosion occurred on the intervening night of Apr 4 and 5, 2006, at the house of one Laxman Rajkondwar, who was allegedly a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker, in Nanded city.

Rajkondwar's son Naresh Rajkondwar and Vishva Hindu Parishad activist Himanshu Panse were killed, allegedly while assembling the explosive device, the investigators claimed.

A reasoned order of the Jan 4 ruling became available on Wednesday.

The judge stated the charge sheet alleged that the accused persons were connected with Hindu organisations like the RSS, VHP or Bajrang Dal.