The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): On Monday, a special court under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Mumbai took significant action by issuing a bailable warrant against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Pragya Singh Thakur. This development comes in light of her repeated absences from court proceedings related to the 2008 Malegaon blast case, in which she is a prime accused.
Thakur, along with six other individuals, is being tried under stringent charges framed by the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The case is currently at a critical juncture, with the NIA court engaged in the process of recording the statements of the accused, as per the guidelines set forth in the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The court had previously mandated the presence of all accused during the hearings. However, following Thakur’s failure to comply with these directives, Special Judge A K Lahoti mandated a warrant with a surety of Rs 10,000 against her. Furthermore, the court has tasked the investigating agency with submitting a comprehensive report by March 20, underscoring the seriousness of her non-attendance.
In the preceding month, Judge Lahoti had expressly cautioned Thakur about the implications of her absence, indicating that the court would resort to “necessary action” should she continue to disregard its proceedings.
The 2008 Malegaon blast, which is at the core of this case, resulted in the tragic loss of six lives and inflicted injuries on over 100 individuals. The attack involved an explosive device attached to a motorcycle, detonating close to a mosque in Malegaon, a town situated roughly 200 kilometers from Mumbai in the northern region of Maharashtra. Initially handled by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, the investigation was later transferred to the NIA in 2011, marking a prolonged judicial process aimed at bringing the perpetrators to justice.