Malegaon: NIA doesn't oppose bail of 9 accused

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday did not oppose bail petitions of nine accused who were arrested in the 2006 Malegaon blast case.

Nine accused had applied for the bail in October. NIA has told Mumbai court that it would not oppose the bail applications of the accused.

The bail applications were filed in the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court, which is hearing the case.

Maharashtra ATS, which initially probed the case had arrested nine persons namely Salman Farsi, Shabir Ahmed, Noorulhuda Doha, Rais Ahmed, Mohammed Ali, Asif Khan, Javed Sheikh, Farooque Ansari and Abrar Ahmed for their alleged involvement in the multiple blasts in the powerloom town in Nashik district.

The explosions near a mosque on September 8, 2006 had killed 36 people and injured over 100.

In December 2006, the case was handed over to CBI. Later the NIA, a special anti-terror probe agency created in 2009, took over the investigations.

The accused's previous bail application had been rejected in March by the court.