Hindutva sentiments sweeping so much of India seem to have affected its judiciary as well. In the latest development, a special court in Jaipur acquitted Swami Aseemanand and six others accused in the 2007 bomb blast at the Ajmer Sharif shrine which left three devotees dead and 15 injured, giving accused the benefit of the doubt. Apprehending that this may be an indication of what lies ahead in the 2007 Samjhota Express terrorist bombing case, the Foreign Office in Islamabad summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner on Friday to convey its disappointment over the acquittal, saying "the government of Pakistan expects India to take steps to bring to justice all those involved in the heinous act of the Samjhota Express terrorist attack." Since the atrocity caused the loss of 42 Pakistani lives, Islamabad is within its rights in asking the Indian government to share the findings and investigations collected so far in the case and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The swami, an activist of the Hindu extremist organisation, RSS, has a long track record of involvement in terrorism. He had initially confessed he was the mastermind of the bomb blast on the Pakistan-bound train, and also identified a serving army officer, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, as an accomplice. He is the main accused in several other terrorist bombings, including the 2010 blast at Makkah Masjid in Hyderabad that claimed 14 lives, and the 2006 blast in Maharashtra which killed about 40 people. He was jailed in 2010 for his involvement in various cases of murder as well as for spreading communal hatred. Although the swami retracted his statement regarding his role in the Samjhota Express attack when faced with legal proceedings, there is enough evidence to prove his culpability in the case. The investigators had linked him with the discovery of suitcases containing explosives and flammable material - including three undetonated bombs like the ones that went off. In one of the bags they found a digital timer alongside a dozen plastic bottles containing fuel oils and chemicals. Luckily, for many of the passengers, this deadly material did not explode, saving passengers in eight carriages of the train from death and destruction.

It is worth noting that since ultra-Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi's ascension to power in Delhi, things have changed in favour of those perpetrating violence related to religion. Action in various cases of terrorism targeted mainly at Muslims, has been deliberately slow. Several prosecution witnesses, fearful of reprisals in the prevailing political atmosphere, have turned hostile. And the defendants associated with the ruling party and its affiliated Hindu extremist organisations have been getting court acquittals. Even though the key accused in the train attack had named Colonel Purohit, the country's National Investigation Agency has already given him a clean chit. And now Swami Aseemanand walks free. Such exonerations will further encourage religion-inspired violence in that country, damaging communal amity and tarnishing India's image as a functioning democracy.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017