MHA wants foolproof probes

New Delhi: The home ministry has asked investigating agencies that work under its control to put in place a mechanism to prevent acquittal of key suspects in terror related cases.

The National Investigation Agency and the Delhi Police come under the home ministry, among other forces.

The instructions came in wake of a recent development related to the 2005 serial blasts in New Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar and Paharganj, in which two of the main accused, Mohd Rafiq Shah and Mohd Fazli, were acquitted following a 10-year-long trial.

The incident had raised question marks over investigations conducted by Delhi Police’s special cell, which happens to be its anti-terror unit. Since both Delhi Police and the NIA report directly to the home ministry, it has directed them to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in future.

Among some of the measures suggested by the ministry is to rope in specialised prosecutors and to get the best criminal lawyers to pursue all important terror related cases.

Though most investigating agencies have a panel of public prosecutors, the ministry has said that in important cases these agencies should “hire services of best criminal lawyers”.

Further, it has been decided that there should be better coordination among the investigating officers (IO) during the entire duration of the trail.

Often, it has been noticed that during investigation or trial, which stretches to several years, IOs get transferred and are replaced by new ones.

The ministry has now asked specialised units such as the NIA, special cell and the crime branch to ensure that there is better coordination among all officers irrespective of their “present posting.”

“Both outgoing and incoming officers should coordinate details of investigations better so that no loophole remains either during the probe or trial stage,” a senior ministry official said.

“An acquittal in important terror cases results in an embarrassment to the investigating agency and is also unfair to the suspect facing the trial,” the official said.

 The ministry will soon discuss with these investigating agencies as to how important terror related cases can be put of the fast track and the trial can be completed in a time-bound manner.

The home ministry is of the view that if sensitive cases stretch for too long, then the defence counsels are able to cash in on some of the “weak links in the entire chain of investigations.’’

This is not the first instance when accused in a terror case have been acquitted. Two suspects who were given death sentence in the 1995 Lajpat Nagar blast case were acquitted by the HC.