Ajmer: Aseemanand's plea to turn approver rejected

A local court on Friday rejected the application of Swami Aseemanand, an accused in several terror cases, to turn an approver in the Ajmer Dargah blast after he claimed the plea was filed under the pressure from investigating agencies.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Ratan Lal Moond rejected Aseemanand's earlier application, following a request in which he stated that his confessional statement in Panchkula and Hyderabad courts were given under the pressure from investigating agencies. Dargah blast accused Aseemanand, Heetesh Bhai Mohan, Harshad Solanki and Mukesh Vasani were presented before the CJM on Friday evening.

Aseemanand also appealed to the court to send the application to the two other courts, as he cannot do the same being confined to the Ajmer Central Jail. However, Moond returned his application, asking him to send the request through the jail authorities.

The public prosecutor requested the court to sanction 180 days for filing challan as the National Investigation Agency has taken over the probe into Mecca Masjid, Ajmer Sharif and Malegaon blast cases. But, Moond fixed April 22 for filing challan.

Aseemanand had made confessional statement that he and several other Sangh activists had a direct role in Malegaon, Samjhauta Express, Ajmer and Mecca Masjid blasts.

Aseemamand alias Jatin Chatterjee, who was arrested on November 19, last year by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the Mecca Masjid blast case, had given his confessional statement in a court in Delhi on December 18 last year. He was taken into custody by the Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad on January 22, this year following a court order.

The 2007 blast at the Dargah of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer had left three persons dead and 15 others injured.