Bowing to the demands of political parties and minority organisations, the Maharashtra government on Thursday decided to hand over the Malegaon and Nanded blasts cases to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

'The decision has been taken to ensure transparency in the probe and to remove any suspicion in the minds of the people in connection with the probe,' Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil said in a statement.

The development coincided with the Anti-Terrorism Squad filing its charge sheet in the Malegaon blasts case.

The ATS said it was yet to identify the person who planted one of the three bombs in Malegaon.

Some functionaries of the Nationalist Congress Party, which rules the state with the Congress, had last week sought a probe by the CBI into the July 11 Mumbai train bombings and alleged that Gujaratis were targeted in the blasts.

The blast at the Irrigation Colony at Nanded in Marathwada region on April 6 claimed two lives.

Sixteen people were held in connection with the attack.

On September 8, three blasts during the Shab-e-Baraat programme in the textile town of Malegaon claimed 31 lives and injured 312 people.

Eight people were arrested following these attacks.