A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on March 11 issued a bailable warrant against BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, the prime accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. The warrant was issued against Ms. Thakur for not appearing before the court during the trial despite repeated warnings.
Special judge A.K. Lahoti passed the order and rejected Ms. Thakur’s application seeking exemption from appearance on the grounds of medical illness. The court issued a warrant of ₹10,000 and directed Ms. Thakur to pay the amount before March 20, 2024, to cancel the same. The probe agency is asked to file a report by March 20.
In February last month, the judge issued a warning stating, ‘necessary action’ would be taken against Ms. Thakur if she failed to attend the court’s proceedings.
On September 29, 2008, six persons were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device placed on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon. Ms. Thakur and 6 others are facing trial in the case under provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Shifted to NIA
The case was initially probed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) before it was transferred to the NIA in 2011. The special court then framed charges against Ms. Thakur and the other accused under the UAPA in October 2018.
After producing and examining over 323 witnesses, the prosecution informed the court that recording of all the evidence was completed on September 14, 2023. Currently, the NIA court is recording statements of the accused under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
Ms. Thakur was exempted by the court from appearance for a day on February 25 claiming health concerns. That day, the court said in the order, “Pragya Singh Thakur to remain present on February 27 and onwards without fail, otherwise, the necessary steps will be taken.”
