Prosecutor’s claims about NIA alarming
It is disturbing to note the allegation made by the special public prosecutor for the 2008 Malegaon blast case engaged by the National Investigation Agency, Mumbai lawyer Rohini Salian, that she has been under pressure from the NIA to “go soft” in the Malegaon terrorist matter from the time the government changed at the Centre and in Maharashtra last year.
The air must now be cleared at once through an impartial judicial probe. The Malegaon blast, in which several Muslims lost their lives, is widely thought to be the handiwork of extremist Hindutva elements, just like several other such cases, for instance the Samjhauta Express blast and the Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad, in which Muslims appear to have been made targets. At any rate, the accused have a strong Hindutva background.
Whether or not the common perception about them will hold water in a court of law is to be seen. Almost everything would turn on the quality of NIA’s investigation and the strategy of the special PP in court. The NIA stepped into the picture several years after the Malegaon incident occurred. This would seem to suggest that some aspects of the evidence may already be lost.
As Ms Salian was engaged back in 2010, it is to be hoped that the prosecutor and the investigators she has worked with would be permitted to remain a team until the trial is over. Not doing so can risk weakening the prosecution. It appears from news reports that the NIA is in the process of changing the special PP. This is regrettable and may lead to the belief that the move may be a part of the strategy to debilitate the prosecution.
The judicial inquiry into Ms Salian’s allegation brooks no delay. The special PP herself needs to cooperate with the inquiry by revealing the names of NIA officers who she says sought to influence her to go soft on the accused. The NIA was created six years ago to deal with terrorism cases. It has high-class professionals and has a good reputation. The NIA will itself be expected to take pro-active steps to clear the air. A mere assertion denying the special PP’s charge is inadequate.
The succession of so-called “Hindu terror” cases that came to light some years ago had shocked the country, and a thorough probe must be made. Ms Salian’s allegation is suggestive of an attempt to manipulate and corrupt the judicial process in a matter of national security.