Shinde rules out reinvestigation in German Bakery blast

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Thursday ruled out reinvestigation in 2010 Pune's German Bakery blast case, saying there was no need for it.

"No, we do not have any such plan. There is no need," he told PTI when asked whether there is any possibility of ordering a fresh probe into the case by the National Investigation Agency.

A controversy has broken out after recently arrested Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal reportedly told his interrogators that he was not accompanied by Pune blast convict Mirza Himayat Baig in planting the bomb in the bakery but by another terrorist Qateel Siddiqui.

Baig has been awarded death sentence in connection with the blast, which claimed 17 lives and left over 60 people injured.

Baig was convicted for his involvement in the blast case after the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad filed a charge sheet against him, saying he had accompanied Bhatkal to carry out the terror attack. However, neither the Delhi police nor the Bangalore police mention the presence of Baig in the blast case.

The Delhi police special cell has said Bhatkal was with Siddiqui and that it had recorded his confession. The Bangalore police has a similar confession from Siddiqui, who was murdered in a Pune jail in June 2012.

On Monday, Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil had, however, said that the state felt there was no need for further investigation in the case.

"In a case that has been proved in court, the police and the government do not feel the need for further investigation," Patil had said. However, Baig has approached the Bombay high court seeking reinvestigation of his case by a neutral agency or a court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), claiming that he was innocent.