The National Investigating Agency Kochi has discharged five Muslim men including Thadiyantavide Nazeer and Sharafuddeen, the two accused in the Bangalore blast cases, and three others were discharged in a case related to the alleged illegal possession of explosive substances.
The accused were entitled to discharge as there was no evidence to show that any of the accused persons ever had any connection with the possession of the material.
Though the accused were represented by lawyers in the court, they did not argue about framing charges. However, the court itself inspected the records and ordered the discharge.
The prosecution case was that the accused persons, in furtherance of their common intention to cause explosions across the country, had illegally possessed the explosive substance and hid it in the property abutting the house of Fayaroose, the fifth accused, in Chembulod grama panchayat, in Kannur.
The explosive materials were found by a police team, which conducted a search in 2009.
To prove the offence under Section 4 of the Explosive Substances Act, the court noted that there should be proof that the accused possessed or had under their control any explosive substance, with intent to endanger life or to cause serious injury to the property, or to enable any other person by means to endanger life or cause serious injury to property in India.