The internecine war between Delhi Police and National Investigation Agency (NIA) finally ended on a happier note over the investigation against two suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives. The NIA on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that it was giving up its claim on the two IM operatives and the Delhi Police can continue with its investigations against the accused. The case, lodged by Delhi Police in 2012 against the IM operatives, relates to the alleged conspiracy to carry out terror strikes in the national Capital by the Pune module of the banned terror outfit. Interestingly NIA has also lodged a separate case relating to larger conspiracy of IM in carrying and planning to commit terror attacks across India.
The turf war for the custody of Tehseen Akhtar, alias Monu and Mohammad Waqas, a Pakistani national, turned acrimonious after NIA fielded five lawyers to seek the police remand of the duo in Patiala House courts and the same was frowned upon by the Special Cell. The acrimony between the two agencies could be judged by the fact that NIA even accused Delhi Police for obfuscating the probe against terror.
Considering the tussle between NIA and Delhi Police and their claim and counter-claim over the investigation, Justice VP Vaish had asked the Union Home Secretary to appear in person to “appraise” the court about the anomaly created by the two agencies which work under the same Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). “We have resolved the issue. It is Delhi Police and not NIA which will continue with the investigation and subsequent processes,” the counsel for the MHA told the court on Thursday. The chargesheet has already been filed by Delhi Police, he said.
The Director General of NIA and the Special Commissioner of Delhi Police appeared in the court for clarifying the stand of the respective probe agencies. The court had earlier exempted the Union Home Secretary from appearing in person before it on Thursday. Earlier, the court had said that Delhi Police were not furnishing “concrete information” about the status of probe. “The same shows that the concerned senior officers of Delhi Police slept over the matter for a considerable time, which is not appreciable at all,” it had said.
The court had come down heavily on NIA and Delhi Police saying that due to their conduct, it has lost “precious time”.
“Be that as it may, two contradictory versions are forthcoming before this court, one from the side of NIA that the case was registered by NIA as per the order of MHA and vide order dated October 5, 2012, MHA communicated that the investigation of both the cases will be conducted by NIA and Delhi Police was directed to transfer the case FIR 16, 2012 to NIA and the other from the side of Special Cell, Delhi Police, that they have decided to continue with the investigation of this case,” it said.
The court has fixed the case for hearing on May 22 when it will take up the bail pleas of alleged IM operatives — Syed Maqbool and Imran Khan. Maqbool and Imran, who were arrested in October 2012, are also accused in the blasts at Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad, and the German Bakery, Pune.