The XIV Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at the Nampally Criminal Court on Wednesday asked the CBI to specify the investigation it wanted to conduct since it was seeking the custody of Swami Asimanand, one of the accused in the Mecca Masjid blast case.
The Magistrate directive came in response to a plea by the accused's counsel Chinna Kesava Rao who argued that the Swami had been already questioned by the CBI investigating the blast which killed 9 worshippers on May 18th, 2007.
Kesava Rao told the court that Asimanand had been questioned by the CBI for 2 days after his arrest on November 19th in Haridwar.
The defence lawyer added that the CBI had not specified the investigations it sought to conduct. He pointed out that the investigating body had recovered all possible documents from Swami Asimanand, and wondered what the CBI was looking for.
Claiming that the Swami was suffering from neurological problems, Kesava Rao pleaded with the court to dismiss the CBI plea for additional custody.
The CBI counsel, however, told the court that it could not reveal details about the case in an 'open court' since they were of a sensitive nature. The CBI counsel also asked the court to order a 15-day police custody of the accused.
The court refused the CBI argument, and directed it to furnish the evidence before deciding on the plea. Swami Asimanand is presently under judicial custody.
Courtesy: INN
filed in:Swami Asimanand, Mecca Masjid Blast, Mecca Masjid