MUMBAI: A special NIA (National Investigation Agency) court on Monday issued a bailable warrant for arresting BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, a prime accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast, which killed six people and injured 101 persons. The warrant of ₹10,000 was issued as the MP was not present in court despite directions to the contrary.
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During the hearing, Thakur’s lawyer highlighted her fragile health and sought exemption from appearance before the court, annexing a photocopy of a letter issued by her Bhopal-based doctor stating she was suffering from dizziness but could travel at her own risk.
Special NIA judge AK Lahoti rejected the plea and observed that though it was specifically directed that the accused must remain present in court on March 11, 2024, along with a medical certificate, neither she was present, nor was the original medical certificate produced on record.
Thakur has remained absent on several court dates after she became a Member of Parliament, and even the recording of her statement under section 313 f the Criminal Procedure Code had to be deferred on account of her absenteeism.
The blast for which the MP is facing trial occurred on September 29, 2008, when a powerful explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon located in Nashik district, about 200 km from Mumbai.
Ramchandra Kalsangra, an absconding accused against whom proclamation has been issued, and Sandeep Dange – both residents of Indore in Madhya Pradesh – had allegedly planted the bomb on a bike belonging to Thakur, which Kalsangra had been using for two years prior to the incident.
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The prosecution had on September 14, 2023, closed its evidence against the seven accused – the BJP MP, Lt Col Prasad Purohit, Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni.
It examined 323 witnesses in all, among whom 37 turned hostile. The trial court has also recorded statements of the accused under section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code – to give them an opportunity to explain the circumstances and evidence brought against them during the trial.