Judge who delivers verdict in 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case resigns

According to reports, special NIA judge Ravinder Reddy has submitted his resignation to the Andhra Pradesh chief justice on Monday.

He earlier in the day declared all the accused in the case as not guilty.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi called the resignation of the judge as ' intriguing'.

"Judge who gave acquittal to all accused in Mecca Masjid Blast RESIGNS very intriguing and I am surprised with the Lordship decision," he tweeted.

All five accused in the Mecca Masjid blast case have been acquitted owing to lack of evidence, according to media reports on Monday.

The verdict of  the 11-year-old Mecca Masjid blast case was pronounced on Monday afternoon.

Accused Swami Aseemanand was brought to court in Hyderabad earlier in the day.

Trial in the case was concluded in the fourth additional metropolitan sessions-cum-special court for NIA cases recently.

Last week, the court had posted Apr 16 as the date for pronouncing the judgement in the case.

A blast in the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad on May 18, 2007 had killed nine people and left 58 injured.

The CBI was handed over the case after initial investigations by local police.

The case was later handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2011.

10 people were named as accused in the case.

However, only five people, identified as Devendra Gupta, Lokesh Sharma, Swami Aseemanand alias Naba Kumar Sarkar, Bharat Mohanlal Rateshwar alias Bharat Bhai and Rajendra Chowdhary, were arrested in connection with the incident and made to face trial.

Sandeep V Dange and Ramchandra Kalsangra, who were also accused in the incident, are absconding.

Another accused Sunil Joshi died earlier.