A witness in the 2008 Malegoan blast case, whose statement had been recorded by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, claimed in a court that the ATS had threatened him to take the names of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and four other RSS leaders.

Notably, former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, currently facing multiple cases of extortion, was posted as additional commissioner of the ATS, when it probed the Malegaon blast case. The witness deposed before the special NIA court. His statement had been recorded by the ATS when it probed the case, before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the case.