HYDERABAD: Bharat Mohanlal Rateswar alias Bharat Bhai, accused in Mecca Masjid bomb blast case was sent to judicial custody till December 7 on Saturday. The prine accused in the blast, Bharat Bhai was produced before the Economic Offences court by the National Investigation Agency officials as the NIA court magistrate is on leave. As involvement of Bharat Bhai in the criminal conspiracy behind commission of the bomb blast is prima facie established, the court had issued a Prisoner Transit warrant authorising the NIA to take the accused from Jaipur jail and produce him before the court on or before December 7. The investigating agency in its remand case dairy said as per investigation done and evidence collected, the main part of criminal conspiracy took place at the residence of Bharat Bhai in Valsad, Gujarat which culminated in commission of the blast. Bharat Bhai and other accused had conspired about committing various crimes and said “Bomb ka jawab bomb se dena,” according to the remand diary. They had also extended financial and logistic support to other accused to execute blasts targeting Muslims in India, with an intention to cause terror among people. The NIA also said since there is no chance to complete the investigation within 24 hours and to unearth the larger conspiracy behind the blasts, the remand of the accused to judicial custody till completion of the investigation is warranted. NIA officials contended that if the accused is released on bail, there is every chance for him to abscond, chance to repeat the same offence and influence witnesses. The NIA counsel also filed a petition seeking 30-day police custody of the accused. Considering NIA's petition, magistrate R Sudhakar Naidu sent the accused for judicial custody till December 7. He also directed Chanchalguda prison authorities to keep the accused in a separate room with ISI-related inmates also lodged in the jail. He was later shifted to Chanchalguda prison.The accused had been produced on November 22 through electronic video linkage and the Nampally court had granted custody of the accused on a petition filed by the NIA. The counsel for Bharat Bhai had challenged the court order in High Court observing that, “The respondent, National Investigation Agency is at liberty to take custody of the petitioner after following due process of law. But the order does not preclude the respondent for taking police custody of the accused in accordance with law.”
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