NIA to produce Bharat Bhai before Jaipur court

HYDERABAD: The Nampally court on Thursday directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to produce Bharat Bhai, accused in the Mecca masjid blast case, before the Jaipur court after they take him into custody and again produce him in the same court when the custody comes to an end.
Bharat Bhai is presently lodged in a prison in Ajmer. He was arrested by the NIA earlier in connection with the bomb blast at Ajmer Shareef and now in the Mecca masjid blast case. It is alleged that the entire conspiracy was hatched at Bharat Bhai's residence. On a petition filed by the NIA, a city court granted 15day custody of the accused to the NIA recently. However, his counsel had opposed the same stating that for an accused to be shifted to police custody, he should be produced before the court in person and not through video linkage, as was done in the case of Bharat Bhai. The arguments bwteeen NIA's counsel and Bharat Bhai's counsel, N Ramachandra Rao was heard by the court on Thursday.Ramachandra Rao argued that Bharat Bhai's custody to NIA was illegal as neither his client nor he was served any notice before the custody was granted by the NIA. "The accused should be given an opportunity to oppose his custody,'' Rao argued.