NEW DELHI, Aug 29: A Delhi court on Saturday took cognisance of the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) 7,500 page chargesheet against 13 accused in connection with the Red Fort blast case.
The case relates to a high intensity vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) explosion near the Red Fort on November 10 last year. The blast claimed 11 lives and injured several others.
Special Judge Prashant Sharma took cognisance of the prosecution report and scheduled the matter for further proceedings on September 9.
The NIA had initially filed its chargesheet on May 14 against 10 accused. According to the agency, all of them, including the alleged key accused Dr Umer Un Nabi, who is deceased, had links with Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH).
The agency’s investigation has identified AGuH as an offshoot of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). The prosecution has alleged that the accused were associated with the terror outfit and were involved in the conspiracy surrounding the explosion.
The NIA subsequently expanded the case through a supplementary chargesheet filed the following month. The additional report named three more individuals, taking the total number of accused charge-sheeted in the case to 13.
Among those named in the supplementary filing is an absconding paediatrician, whom investigators have described as a founding member of the alleged terror module linked to the attack.
The court’s cognisance of the chargesheet marks the next stage in the judicial proceedings, with the case now scheduled for further consideration in September.
The investigation and prosecution will continue to examine the alleged roles of the accused, their links to the banned terror network and the circumstances surrounding the November blast.