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Lucknow: In a setback
to the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) government's move
to release the accused in the 2006 Varanasi blasts, the district
administration has strongly opposed "any such action".
In response to the move, which came vide a letter of the special
secretary (law) dated Dec 14 seeking their view on the matter, the
district magistrate and the senior superintendent of police (SSP)
of Varanasi have said that after a careful study of the case, they
were of the opinion that any move to free the accused like Waliullah, Shameem and others was not only likely to set a bad
precedent but would not be judicious as well. The case is now with
the district and sessions court of Ghaziabad.
In their response to the government missive, the district
administrative and police officials also quoted the government
legal counsel's support to their viewpoint.
They pointed out that the government counsel said that the alleged
act by the accused not only led to death of people, damage to
government property but also was a crime against the unity of the
nation and challenged the security.
In a reply to the 13 points, on which the law department of the
state government had sought their opinion, the district officials
have detailed many reasons, including "strong evidences" against
the bomb blast accused.
Saurabh Babu, the district magistrate of Varanasi, refused to
comment on the matter, saying it was a confidential communication.
The government, after a series of statements by the political
leadership in the ruling Samajwadi Party, specially Chief Minister
Akhilesh Yadav and party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, about
"innocent Muslims being implicated in the blasts," Oct 31 had
moved a notification seeking withdrawal of cases against the
accused in the March 7, 2006, serial blast, that ripped through
the temple town of Varanasi, killing 20 people at the Cantonment
railway station and the famous Sankat Mochan temple.
The move had not only kicked up a political storm but had also
invited a severe reprimand from the judiciary.
The Allahabad High Court (HC) had rapped the state government for
the move.
A bench of Justice R.K. Agarwal and Justice R.S.R. Maurya in
November observed: "Today you are releasing them, tomorrow you may
give them the Padma Bhushan!"
The court said that whether those arrested were terrorists or not
would be decided by the court and not by the state government, and
had asked a clarification for the withdrawal of the case.
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