State to file reply on charges made by Malegaon accused

The Special MCOCA court asked the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad ATS on Tuesday to respond to allegations of torture and illegal detention by those arrested in connection with the September 29 Malegaon bomb blast case.

Sadhvi Pragyasingh Thakur, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyaya, Ajay Rahirkar and Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, among others, had made the allegations in court on Monday but Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian had denied them. She said that the accused had not complained in the Nashik court where they were first produced and their custody taken and had done so now as an afterthought to derail the investigation. 8220;We will file a reply in due course of time after going through the affidavits filed by the accused,8221; she added. Thakur8217;s lawyer Ganesh Sovani said, 8220;The prosecution is likely to file its reply on December 3 which is also the next date when all the accused will be produced in court for extension of their judicial custody. On Monday, when seven of the 11 accused were produced in the special court, they alleged that the ATS had used third-degree methods on them. They urged the court not to send them to ATS custody as they feared for their life.