Congress alleged that PM's office had interfered to weaken the case against Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit.
Did the National Investigation Agency - which accused the Maharashtra anti-terror cell of planting evidence on Malegaon blast accused - dilute charges after prime accused Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit wrote to a senior government official? The Congress today released a handwritten note by Lt Colonel Purohit, alleging that the Prime Minister's Office had interfered with the investigations in the case.
NDTV cannot authenticate the note, dated January 6, 2016, which Lt Col Purohit wrote to the National Security Advisor, asking for his "august intervention" in the case. In the note, he claimed he would prefer death to being branded as a "terrorist".
There are notings on the letter, purportedly from the NSA and the Home Secretary, that seek comments from the NIA.
Mocking that Purohit's file was moving at the speed of Olympic Gold winner Usain Bolt, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said, "Purohit writes to the National Security Advisor on January 6 and then, it reaches Home Secy... The Supreme Court should ask for all the communication between different government agencies."
Mr Sharma asked why did the "Prime Minister's Office intervene" when the entire investigation was done. He said that Rohini Salian - the prosecutor who had resigned after alleging the NDA government was putting pressure on her to weaken the case - had "forewarned us of such a thing".
The BJP categorically denies any interference from the PM's Office in the Malegaon case.
"No Congress spokesperson is an investigator. There is an investigating agency and the courts will rule whether any change is correct or not," said BJP's Nalin Kohli. "Under PM Modi, there is no interference," he added.
On Friday, the NIA filed a new chargesheet, in which it
accused the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad of planting RDX traces to frame Lt Colonel Purohit, a prime accused in the case. It also let off another prominent accused, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, saying the evidence against her was insufficient.
The Aam Aadmi Party has
questioned the credibility of the NIA, raising doubts over the role of the agency's director general Sharad Kumar.