MUMBAI: The victims of the 2008 Malegaon blast have requested an extension in the tenure of the special sessions judge AK Lahoti, who presides over the Malegaon blast hearing at the City Civil and Sessions Court in Mumbai.

Advocate Shahid Nadeem, representing the victims, wrote to the chief justice of Bombay high court, expressing their apprehension that the judge might be transferred during the upcoming Annual General Trial, before the completion of the trial. The trial is on the verge of conclusion, with the final arguments being advanced by defence advocates.

The deadly blast took place on September 29, 2008, after an explosive device attached to a motorcycle went off at the communally sensitive town of Malegaon in Nashik district. It killed six people and injured around hundred.

“We, the victims, apprehend that any change in the Presiding Officer may cause an unavoidable delay in the trial as the newly posted Presiding Officer would require to familiarise himself with the entire voluminous charge sheet along with exhibited documents and evidence which is running into thousands of pages,” stated the letter. It added that the NIA judge conducted the trial in a dignified manner despite the influence of some of the accused persons.

The victims have sought an extension of the tenure of the NIA judge until the trial is completed. The special court presided by judge AK Lahoti is specifically reserved for the hearing of the Malegaon blast case, which takes place on a day-to-day basis.