Mecca Masjid blast case: The National Investigative Agency (NIA) on Tuesday said that it will not appeal against the trial court judgement acquitting Swami Aseemanand in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case.

According to CNN-News 18, a top official of NIA said that three of the 18 points in the trial court’s judgement are tough to challenge and the agency will not appeal against the Hyderabad court’s order.

“No decision on appealing against Mecca Masjid judgement at this stage,” YC Modi, NIA Director General told CNN-News 18.

J Sharma, lawyer of Aseemanand, said that there is no evidence against Aseemanand and others. “The judgment by the trial court is sound and there is no evidence against the accused persons at all. So I am sure the judgment was read by the concerned officials and they decided to not contest it,” Sharma told CNN-News 18.

Last month, a Hyderabad court had acquitted all five people accused in 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case due to lack of evidence. NIA had then said that they will appeal in the High court after reading the judgement.

Around nine persons were killed and 58 others were injured in the blast during Friday prayers at the mosque in Hyderabad on May 18, 2007. Five persons were killed in police firing near the mosque as protests broke out following the blast. The NIA had named ten persons in the case while the court had convicted only five – Devendra Gupta, Lokesh Sharma, Swami Aseemanand alias Naba Kumar Sarkar, Bharat Mohanlal Rateshwar alias Bharat Bhai and Rajendra Chowdhary.

Two other accused Sandeep V Dange and Ramchandra Kalsangra are still absconding, while another accused Sunil Joshi died.