<p>Mumbai: A special <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/national-investigation-agency">NIA</a> court, on Thursday, fixed July 31 for delivering the verdict in the 2008 Malegaon blast case - nearly 17 years after the deadly explosion that shook the Muslim community-dominated town in the Nashik district of Maharashtra.</p><p>The court had on April 19 reserved the case for orders and directed the accused to appear before it on May 8 for the verdict. </p><p>However, Special Judge A K Lahoti informed the accused present in court that due to the voluminous documents in the matter, more time was required to deliver the verdict. </p><p>Thereafter, the judge directed all accused to remain present on the next scheduled date, July 31.</p><p>The blast on September 29, 2008, during the holy month of Ramzan and on the eve of Navratri festivities claimed six lives and injured 100 others in Malegaon. </p>.As India strikes Pakistan, here's a look at status of probe into Pahalgam attack.<p>The investigation was initially handled by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) but was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2011. </p><p>A special court in Mumbai has conducted the trial of the accused, against whom cases were registered under the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), which were pressed by ATS were later dropped. </p><p>During the trial, 323 witnesses were examined by the prosecution out of which 34 turned hostile. </p><p>The seven accused who faced trial are former BJP MP <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/pragya-thakur">Pragya Singh Thakur</a>, former Military Intelligence official Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit (Retd), Major Ramesh Upadhyay (Retd), Ajay Rahirkar, Sameer Kulkarni, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi.</p><p>The special court, on October 30, 2018, framed charges against seven accused under the stringent UAPA and IPC. </p><p>They are facing trial under sections 16 (committing terrorist act) and 18 (conspiring to commit terrorist act) of the UAPA and under IPC sections 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 153 (a) (promoting enmity between two religious groups).</p><p>Initially, the probe was conducted by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) led by Special Inspector General of Police Hemant Karkare, who was killed during the 26/11 terror attack. The ATS had filed the chargesheet in 2009; however, later, the case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2016. </p><p>In its chargesheet, while the NIA aligned with the ATS probe, it differed on certain aspects and recommended dropping of the charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), which was accepted by the court. </p><p>The hearing of evidence in the case was closed in September 2023.</p>
<p>Mumbai: A special <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/national-investigation-agency">NIA</a> court, on Thursday, fixed July 31 for delivering the verdict in the 2008 Malegaon blast case - nearly 17 years after the deadly explosion that shook the Muslim community-dominated town in the Nashik district of Maharashtra.</p><p>The court had on April 19 reserved the case for orders and directed the accused to appear before it on May 8 for the verdict. </p><p>However, Special Judge A K Lahoti informed the accused present in court that due to the voluminous documents in the matter, more time was required to deliver the verdict. </p><p>Thereafter, the judge directed all accused to remain present on the next scheduled date, July 31.</p><p>The blast on September 29, 2008, during the holy month of Ramzan and on the eve of Navratri festivities claimed six lives and injured 100 others in Malegaon. </p>.As India strikes Pakistan, here's a look at status of probe into Pahalgam attack.<p>The investigation was initially handled by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) but was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2011. </p><p>A special court in Mumbai has conducted the trial of the accused, against whom cases were registered under the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), which were pressed by ATS were later dropped. </p><p>During the trial, 323 witnesses were examined by the prosecution out of which 34 turned hostile. </p><p>The seven accused who faced trial are former BJP MP <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/pragya-thakur">Pragya Singh Thakur</a>, former Military Intelligence official Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit (Retd), Major Ramesh Upadhyay (Retd), Ajay Rahirkar, Sameer Kulkarni, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi.</p><p>The special court, on October 30, 2018, framed charges against seven accused under the stringent UAPA and IPC. </p><p>They are facing trial under sections 16 (committing terrorist act) and 18 (conspiring to commit terrorist act) of the UAPA and under IPC sections 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 153 (a) (promoting enmity between two religious groups).</p><p>Initially, the probe was conducted by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) led by Special Inspector General of Police Hemant Karkare, who was killed during the 26/11 terror attack. The ATS had filed the chargesheet in 2009; however, later, the case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2016. </p><p>In its chargesheet, while the NIA aligned with the ATS probe, it differed on certain aspects and recommended dropping of the charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), which was accepted by the court. </p><p>The hearing of evidence in the case was closed in September 2023.</p>