Chandigarh, Dec 29 : The Additional District and Sessions Judge at Chandigarh remanded Rajendra Choudhary, the key accused in the Samjhauta Express blast case, to 14-days judicial custody on Saturday.

Chaudhary''s custody was also transferred to the Mumbai Police for his suspected involvement in Malegaon blasts.

Briefing the media outside the courts complex, the prosecution advocate representing the National Investigation Agency (NIA), R K Handa mentioned that a letter of requisition for physical custody of the accused had been received from the designated court in Mumbai.

"The key accused in the Samjhauta Express blast case has been sent to judicial custody. Simultaneously, during the investigation it was found out that he was also involved in Malegaon blast case and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) had filed an application before a court in Bombay (Mumbai) for the production of Rajendra Choudhary. The Bombay (court) had sent a request letter here for the accused to be produced there," said Handa.

However, Chaudhary''s lawyers contended that they had filed an application demanding a psychiatric evaluation of the accused and that their client had been forced to endure mental torture by the probing sleuths.

"We have moved an application, as sometime back, some of our advocates met Rajendra Choudhary in Delhi and it was brought to light that he was being mentally tortured. Hence, we have requested a medical examination of the accused by a board, comprising of three doctors including on psychiatrist because we feel he is being mentally tortured," said Padmakant Dwivedi, defence counsel for Rajendra Choudhary.

The case pertains to the criminal conspiracy, which resulted in bomb blasts in the Samjhauta Express train near Panipat in Haryana on February 18, 2007.

The blast and the consequent fire in the train resulted in the loss of 68 lives and injuries to 12 train passengers including women and children travelling in the train. (ANI)