Six Malegaon blast accused released from jail

Six of the nine accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blasts case were released on Wednesday after a trial court here granted them bail.
    
Salman Farsi, Shabir Ahmed, Noorulhuda Doha, Rais Ahmed, Mohammed Zahid and Faroogue Ansari were released from the Arthur Road jail here. Another accused Abrar Ahmed is also expected to be set free from Byculla jail after completion of formalities, police said.
   
Two others - Asif Khan and Mohammed Ali - were also granted bail in the case but not released as they are accused in the 2006 Mumbai train serial blasts case too.
   
On November 5, the nine accused got bail on a surety of Rs 50,000 each by Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court as National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the case, chose not to oppose their plea for liberty.
   
The court also asked the accused to report to local police station once in a week.
   
NIA contended that after the confession of Swami Aseemanand (arrested in connection with the 2007 Mecca Masjid bomb blast case) about the alleged involvement of a right-wing group in the Malegaon blast, it reviewed the evidence collected by previous investigating agencies ATS, Maharashtra, and CBI besides gathering some fresh evidence.
   
"After due deliberations, a decision was taken on the basis of facts and circumstances not to oppose the bail plea of all the nine accused," the NIA had told the court.
   
On September 8, 2006, powerful blasts near Hamidia mosque in Bada Kabaristan area in Malegaon after Shab-e-Barat prayers killed 37 people and injured over 100.