2010 Jnaneswari Express tragedy: Calcutta HC grants bail to 11 accused

KOLKATA: The Calcutta high court on Tuesday granted conditional bail to 11 persons arrested in connection with the Jnaneswari Express derailment incident in 2010.
The accused persons were in judicial custody in connection with the probe by the CBI. In November last year, the court had granted bail to six accused persons.
The 11 persons, who were granted bail included Bholanath Mahato, Ramu Mudi, Amiya Mahato, Mahanto Mahato, Sunil Mahato, Manoj Mahato, Laxmikanta Roy, Jaydeb Mahato, Manik Mahato, Jaladhar Mahato and Khagen Mahato.
The division bench of justice Debangshu Basak and justice Shabbar Rashidi on Tuesday noted that the accused persons have fundamental rights too. They cannot be kept in custody without a trial. The accused persons have been in custody for the past 10 years.
In 2010, 150 persons died and 168 passengers and two railway staff were injured in the Jnaneswari Express derailment incident near West Midnapore.
The Railway Safety Commissioner (CRS) had confirmed that the accident was caused by tampering of the tracks and attributed the cause as sabotage. The incident took place when a Maoist group called a bandh in the area. Several persons, allegedly linked to the Maoist outfit, were arrested in connection with the incident.