NIA yet to report on Sanatan funding
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, OCT 15
October 16 will mark a year since the Commercial Capital was rocked by bomb blast on the eve of Diwali, but the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is yet to cap its investigations into the funding aspects of the Sanatan Sanstha till date.
That’s not all. The trial in the sensational case is being conducted by the South Goa Sessions Court in the absence of a special court as mandated by the NIA Act. Of the 11 accused named in the charge sheet, the NIA has arrested six accused, while three accused are still at large. Moreover, while trial against four accused — Vinay Talekar, Vinayak Patil, Dhananjay Ashtekar and Dilip Mangaonkar — has commenced in the Sessions Court, the NIA has not yet filed the charge sheet against two other accused Prashant Ashtekar and Prashant Juvekar – who are presently in judicial custody.
Two of the accused – Malgonda Patil and Yogesh Naik – had died in the bomb blast behind the Grace Church building – metres away from the venue of the Narkasura competition.
When NIA had filed charge sheet in the South Goa Sessions Court earlier this year, NIA Superintendent of Police had told newsmen that the agency has sought permission from the court to further investigate into the case, including the funding of Ramnathi-based Sanathan Sanstha.
Till date, however, no report has been filed in the court relating to Sanstha’s funding. Incidentally, though the NIA had mentioned the accused persons as being members of the Sanatan Sanstha, the investigating agency had clearly avoided linking the organization to any conspiracy in the bomb blast case.
So far, the Sessions Court has examined nearly half-a-dozen witnesses out of the 250 witnesses listed by the NIA.
Plea by the accused to hold day-to-day trial of the case as mandated by NIA has not found favour with the Sessions Court, prompting one of the accused to knock the doors of the High Court for day-to-day trial.
