The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday failed to submit the chargesheet in the Burdwan blast case due to “some technical problems” as it produced the 17 accused arrested in the case before the City Civil Court. The agency now has six days left before the period of limitation for filing chargesheet as per the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, under which the accused are being tried, expires. Chief Judge Md Mumtaz Khan remanded all the 17 accused to judicial custody until April 10, also the next date of hearing in the case of blast that took place on October 2 last year. [related-post] Public Prosecutor for the NIA, Shyamal Ghosh said that “some technical reasons” led the agency to postpone the the submission of chargesheet at the last moment. He added that the chargesheet will be submitted early next week. NIA source said the submission of the chargesheet had to be postponed because some documents pertaining to case were not found to be in order. Voluminous documents, exhibits and attachments, comprising witness accounts, interrogation reports, statement of arrested persons under Section 164 of the IPC, have piled up in the case since the agency began its investigation, added the source. Officials said as many as 250 witnesses have been examined in the case and their statements recorded. During the hearing, several under trials alleged being subjected to third degree torture in the custody even as the court received several petitions alleging violation of human rights. The agency’s public prosecutor, however, denied the allegations and said that the under trials were being dealt strictly according to legal procedures and there was no violation of human rights as was alleged.
