Recently, all the five suspects in the Mecca Masjid bomb blast case (2007) were acquitted by an NIA (National Investigation Agency) Court.
Regardless of the culpability of those acquitted, the institutional legitimacy of the judiciary has been eroded as justice still looks elusive.
What is the case about?
The Blast - Mecca Masjid is a mosque in Hyderabad.
It saw an explosion in its premises in May 2007 that killed 9 people and injured many.
While initial investigations held radical Islamists as propagators of the attack, and scores of suspects were picked up, allegedly subjected to torture.
But it was subsequently alleged that Hindu Right Wing groups were responsible and “Swami Aseemanand and four others” were the main suspects.
Justice - All five people have been acquitted now and this is likely to reinforce public cynicism about the state of the criminal justice system in the country.
Significantly, after 11 years of speedy trial, the real culprits are still out.
With a right-wing union government in office, accusation of “inherent lack of will to render justice” and “NIA being influenced” looms large.
Similarity - The Mecca Masjid Case has a striking similarity to that of the Malegaon Serial Blast Case (2006) in Maharashtra.
It was initially thought that the Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) was involved and several Muslims were arrested on suspicion.
But after 4 years, in 2010, it emerged that some members of a Hindu group called “Abhinav Bharat” were the perpetrators.
What has eroded the credibility of investigations?
Swami Aseemanand had made a significant confession in 2010 at a magistrate’s court in Delhi, but he has subsequently retracted his statement.
But considering the comprehensiveness of information provided in the initial confession, it is unclear why NIA couldn’t establish sufficient evidence.
It is hence hard to wade off questions of propriety of the prosecution and accusation of soft peddling to satiate the BJP regime isn’t completely baseless.
Notably, even a public prosecutor who was handling the Malegaon blast case had accused the investigation agencies of showing laxity in their work.
Additionally, 66 of the 226 witnesses in the Mecca Masjid case have turned hostile, which speaks volumes of the lack of legal safeguards for witnesses.
The investigating agencies face a credibility crisis and there is an immediate need for course correction.
