Sir — This refers to the editorial, “Justice partially served” (April 18). The acquittal of all five accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Hyderabad is proving to be controversial.
The acquittal led the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi to accuse the NIA of being malicious and biased. Others of his ilk spoke of a pattern since the advent of the Narendra Modi Government, alleging that the investigating agencies and the police deliberately suppressed evidence to ensure acquittal of the accused in cases where the Muslims were victims.
It is significant that despite serious security and political implications of the Mecca Masjid blast case, it took 11 years for the verdict to come. When one considers the shoddiness of the investigations and prosecutions, say, in the Jessica lal or the Aarushi Talwar murder cases, one will realise that sloppiness has become a way of life for prosecutors and investigators. So, one should not rush to ascribe political motives if the accused in the Mecca Masjid blast case have walked free. We are like that only.