The courts in India are highly terrified with extremists and the judges are forced to give judgement against their conscience.The Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court acquitted all four accused including Swami Aseem nanad, who according to Pakistan was the main perpetrator and activist of Hindu terrorist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sang (RSS).
Hours after an Indian court acquitted the mastermind of the Samjhauta Express terrorist attack, Pakistan on Wednesday reacted angrily, terming the decision a “travesty of justice and exposes the sham credibility of the Indian courts”.
The 2007 terrorist attack killed 68 people, including 44 innocent Pakistanis.
The court in Haryana gave its verdict after dismissing a petition filed last week by the daughter of a Pakistani victim who wanted to get her statement recorded as a witness.
“Prosecution has failed to prove the case so the court acquitted all of them,” lawyer Mukesh Garg told reporters outside the court.
Aseemanand, a self-styled Hindu holy man was jailed in 2010 after admitting his involvement in the attack on the train near Panipat, a city about 100 kms north of Delhi. He later said he was tortured to give a false statement.
Two coaches of the Samjhauta Express, a bi-weekly train that runs between New Delhi and Lahore in Pakistan, caught fire late on February 19, 2007, after two Improvised Explosive Devices exploded.
In all, the NIA had accused eight men of conducting what it described as a “dreadful terrorist act”.
It said the group had been “angry with attacks on Hindu temples…”
One of the accused was murdered in December 2007 and three others absconded from justice.
India’s High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria was summoned to the Foreign Office to lodge Pakistan’s protest and condemnation against the acquittals, said a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
The acting Pakistani foreign secretary stressed that Pakistan had consistently raised the lack of progress and the subsequent, concerted attempts by India to exonerate the perpetrators of this heinous terrorist act.
The issue was raised repeatedly, including at the sidelines of the Senior Officials, Heart of Asia Meeting in 2016. Formal demarches were also lodged regularly with India on the lack of progress and acquittal of the accused in other cases.
“The acquittal of the accused today, 11 years after the heinous Samjhauta terror attacks makes a travesty of justice and exposes the sham credibility of the Indian courts,” the statement noted.
“It also belies the rampant Indian duplicity and hypocrisy where India reflexively levels allegations of terrorism against Pakistan, while protecting with impunity, terrorists who had publicly confessed to their odious crimes,” the statement added.
The acting foreign secretary emphasised that the systemic Indian decision to gradually exonerate and finally acquit the perpetrators, was not only a gross reflection of India’s callous insensitivity to the plight of the 44 families of the deceased Pakistanis but also reflective of the Indian state policy of promoting and protecting Hindu terrorists.
He called upon India to explore judicial remedies to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
