All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen President Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday sought a re-trial in the Mecca Masjid blast case or an appeal against the verdict which set free all the five accused, reported PTI.

He also sought the release of the Bhaskar Rao Commission report. The committee investigated why the police had fired on a crowd that had gathered near the mosque to protest moments after the explosion.

The Hindu quoted the Hyderabad MP as saying: “Tomorrow, which is Friday, at 4 pm, we will meet the governor of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and we will place before him these facts and demand that Centre order a retrial or appeal against the case in the Supreme Court. Re-investigation can be taken up under the Criminal Procedure Code. We have also told Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and deputy chief minister that they should take up the matter with the Centre.”

Owaisi accused the NIA of toeing the line of its “political masters” and said the objective was to get the accused acquitted, reported The Hindu.

“When the trial started in the case, the National Investigation Agency changed the advocate and an advocate who did not fight a single murder case was handed over this case,” he said, adding that in such a terror case, an advocate with at least 10 years’ experience should have been appointed.

Referring to the 2013 Dilsukhnagar blast, in which five people were sentenced to death, Owaisi said an IPS officer was present at every hearing. During the Mecca Masjid trial, however, only officers of the rank of inspector were present, he pointed out.

Owaisi criticised the BJP government’s silence on the verdict. “Not a single central minister has reacted to the verdict or [the way forward] on the Mecca Masjid blast case verdict,” he added.