Zee Media Bureau
Lucknow: In a setback to Uttar Pradesh government, a court in Barabanki, Friday, rejected its plea seeking to withdraw the case against 2007 Gorakhpur blasts accused Tariq Quasmi and Khalid Mujahid, who are alleged to be HuJI operatives.
The Uttar Pradesh government had moved an application in the court requesting permission to withdraw the case against them. The government had said in its application that it wanted to withdraw the case in public interest and for the sake of communal harmony, but had not elaborated on both the points.
UP government had come under fire for going soft on the alleged HuJI operatives with many terming the decision as a political stunt ahead of 2014 General Elections, aimed at appeasing Muslim votes.
The court said the government did not file an affidavit with the application and despite being a confidential document, it was given openly instead of in a sealed envelope, Suman said.
On the basis of these three points, the court rejected the government`s application.
The government on April 24 had said it had withdrawn case against Kasmi, an accused in Gorakhpur blasts, and had requested the court to drop charges against him.
The blast took place in May 2007 at Golghar crossing through a bomb planted in a cycle. Six persons were injured in the blast.
The Special Task Force of UP Police had arrested the two alleged Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami operatives from near Barabanki railway station with explosives.
The Samajwadi Party had promised in its election manifesto that it will review cases against "innocent" youths lodged in jail on charges of attacks in Rampur as well as in serial blasts in courts of Faizabad, Barabanki, Lucknow and also in Gorakhpur and Varanasi blasts. Following the victory in assembly polls, the Akhilesh Yadav government was under pressure from clerics and Muslim organisations to honour its promise.
