Panaji, May 20

A Goa court has turned down a request from members of the Hindu rightwing group Sanatan Sanstha, accused of carrying out an improvised explosive device (IED) in Goa, to eat dosas while in judicial custody.

Advocate Sanjiv Punalkar, who represents Sanatan Sanstha members Vinayak Patil, Vinay Talekar, Dhananjay Ashtekar and Dilip Mangaonkar, had requested the Margao district and sessions court judge Bimba Thaly to allow his clients to eat dosas as a snack once in way during their incarceration.

The National Investigation agency (NIA) counsel however objected to dosas or any other snacks being served to the accused and stated that the jail manual be strictly followed while dealing with those in judicial custody.

The request was eventually rejected.

The accused have been charged for planning and executing the 2009 IED blasts during a religious procession on Diwali eve.