Nisar Ahmed Sayyed Bilal, whose son Sayyed Azhar died in the 2008 Malegaon blast, filed a plea before a special court on May 13, seeking directions to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to assist the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the ongoing trial, reports The Indian Express. “The ATS has not been present during the trial proceedings while ATS witness statements are being recorded by this court. It is unfortunate that the investigating agency that recorded material statements and drew panchnamas against the present accused is not interested in the trial proceedings without any cogent reasons,” the application filed by Bilal through lawyer Shahid Nadeem states. “The NIA and ATS must work in symphony for a fair prosecution. Instances such as tracing documents and witnesses have been a herculean task and without the assistance of ATS officers, it becomes even more difficult to deal with such instances, often leading to delays and adjournments,” the plea states. The court has directed the NIA to file its reply on the application on May 20. SPP Avinash Rasal has been representing both the NIA and the ATS in the trial since 2015.