Mecca Masjid blast case: Aseemanand, others let off; top 10 developments

Mecca Masjid blast case: Aseemanand, others let off; top 10 developments Swami Aseemanand, a former RSS member and Abhinav Bharat ideologue, was among those acquitted today by a special court in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case

A special National Investigation Agency(NIA) court in Hyderabad on Monday acquitted all the accused in the Mecca Masjid blast case. The Namapally Court's judgment came in the case regarding the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast, which claimed nine lives. The fourth additional metropolitan sessions-cum-special court for NIA cases had concluded the trial and last week posted the case for judgment on April 16. The Mecca Masjid attack was allegedly carried out by a group of right-wing terrorists 11 years ago on May 18, 2007.

The accused who were acquitted on Monday are Devendra Gupta, Lokesh Sharma, Swami Aseemanand, Bharat Mohanlal Rateshwar, and Rajendra Chowdhary. Aseemanand, reported to have been a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh at one point, is an ideologue of the extremist Right-wing Hindu organisation Abhinav Bharat.

The blast, which took place during Friday prayers at the Mecca Masjid, adjacent to the historic Charminar in the Old Hyderabad City, had left nine people dead and 58 injured.

Here are the top 10 developments around the Mecca Masjid blast case verdict: