Sunil Joshi and Yogi Adityanath met in March-April 2006.
As per a statement made by Bharat Mohanlal Rateshwar, an aide of Swami Aseemanand and an accused in the 2007 Ajmer dargah blast, the then BJP MP and now Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister met one of the main convicts in the said blast before it occurred, reported The Indian Express.
Yogi Adityanath and the now deceased Sunil Joshi met at the former's residence in Gorakhpur in March-April 2006, over a year before the October 11, 2007 blast in Ajmer dargah.
Rateshwar made this revelation in his statement recorded first before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and then a judge.
When contacted, the UP CMO did not comment
The NIA Special Court on Wednesday sentenced two convicts — Devendra Gupta and Bhavesh Patel — to life imprisonment in connection with the blast case. The court had on March 8 convicted Patel, Gupta and deceased Sunil Joshi, and acquitted others including Swami Aseemanand.
The conviction was made under Sections 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of IPC, 3 / 4 of Explosive Substances Act and Sections 16 and 18 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The blast in the Dargah of Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti at the time of Roza Iftaar had left three pilgrims dead and 15 injured.
The case was handed over to the Rajasthan ATS and was later transferred to the National Investigation Agency which re-registered the case with the NIA police station in New Delhi on 6 April 2011.
There were as many as 149 witnesses in the case and 451 documents were examined. The NIA filed three supplementary chargesheets in the case.
Earlier in March, Aseemanand was acquitted by a special National Investigation Court.
(With Agency inputs)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Yogi Adityanath")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}