Bail granted, but fear keeps Aseemanand in jail

CHANDIGARH June 1, 2015(Agency): Is fear stopping main accused in Samjhauta blast case Swami Aseemanand from walking out of the Ambala jail even after procuring bail from the high court? Highly possible. Otherwise, why is Aseemanand not furnishing the bail bonds even after nine months of getting the release orders? Sources told that the radical Hindu activist and a functionary of right wing organization Abhinav Bharat has deliberately not furnished bail bonds as he fears threat to his life outside the jail. Confined to Ambala jail for over four years, Aseemanad, along with other accused, is facing trial in the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) special court at Panchkula. His fears may not be unfounded as even the security agencies had informed the special court about the threat to his life. In the event of his release from Ambala, he would have been shifted to Hyderabad or Ajmer, as he is facing trial before the NIA special court in Rajasthan in the 2007 Ajmer Dargah blast and in Hyderabad Mecca Masjid explosion. As per the bail conditions set by the Punjab and Haryana high court on August 28, 2014, Aseemanand had to furnish personal bond and two sureties to the satisfaction of the Panchkula special court. The other condition was to give his mobile number, which he



was told to keep operational all the time and attend to calls of the NIA authorities. According to experts, fulfilling these conditions was not a difficult task for Aseemanand, who had fielded a team of top lawyers for securing bail from the high court. Senior BJP leader and eminent lawyer Satya Pal Jain had represented him before high court for his bail plea. On August 28, 2014, the high court had granted him bail after considering his old age, prolonged incarceration and delay in trial. On June 20, 2011, the NIA had filed a chargesheet against Aseemanand accusing him of plotting the blasts and instigating others to carry out the terrorist act. After the death of Sunil Joshi, a chief conspirator and executor of the blasts, Aseemanand is the main accused in the case now. Joshi was shot in Dewas in MP on December 29, 2007. According to NIA, Aseemanand's telephone number was found in a personal diary of Sunil Joshi under the "emergency numbers" category, indicating their close links. The blasts on Delhi-Attari Express on February 18, 2007 were seen as an attempt by Hindu fundamentalist organizations to destroy any attempt to build peace between India and Pakistan. As many as 68 people were killed in the attack, a large number of whom were Pakistanis returning home by the train.