Panchkula (Haryana): A local court on Tuesday allowed the NIA to compare next week forensic evidence collected in Samjhauta Express train blast case with that of bomb attacks in Malegaon, Hyderabad and Ajmer, in which the role of right-wing Hindu extremists is suspected.
Following a High Court direction, District and Sessions Judge Subhash Mehla, hearing charges against Swami Assemanand and four other accused in the 2007 Samjhauta case, said forensic experts from National Investigation Agency (NIA) can study the sealed material on September 20-21.
The judge adjourned the case till October 10, when arguments on the charges will be taken up.
Since the proceedings in the case were in-camera, defence counsel Manveer Rathi later told reporters outside the court that forensic experts will come here next week for comparison of material at Sector 5 police lines.
He said the court has allowed him to remain present at the time of scrutiny.
Chandigarh-based senior advocate R K Handa, who was recently appointed Special Public Prosecutor of the NIA in the Samjhauta case, made his first appearance before the court on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, Punjab and Haryana High Court had dismissed a petition filed by Aseemanand challenging orders of NIA special judge, Panchkula permitting the agency to unseal the seized material in Samjhauta blast case in the presence of counsel for the accused for comparison.
The High Court had also issued directions to the NIA court here to again fix the dates for the exercise.
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