Pragya Thakur
Mumbai: A special NIA court here on Monday issued a bailable warrant against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, for failing to appear before it despite repeated warnings.
Pragya Thakur and six others are facing trial in the case under provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court is currently recording statements of the accused under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The special court had earlier directed the accused in the case to appear before it for hearings.
Special judge A K Lahoti issued a warrant of Rs 10,000 against Pragya Singh Thakur on Monday and asked the probe agency to file a report by March 20.
Last month, the judge had warned Thakur that “necessary action” would be taken against her if she failed to attend the court’s proceedings.
Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town about 200 km from Mumbai in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad initially probed the case before it was transferred to the NIA in 2011.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Bhopal, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who was denied a party Lok Sabha poll ticket in the first list, has reacted to the decision.
Speaking to India Today TV, the MP recalled her earlier statements and the reaction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to them.
In May 2019, Pragya Thakur triggered controversy by calling Nathuram Godse a ‘true patriot.’ However, hours later, she issued an apology, stating that she respects Mahatma Gandhi. PM Modi has said that he would never forgive the MP for her statement.
Now, as Pragya Thakur finds her name missing in the first list of the BJP, she says that her earlier statements might not have pleased PM Modi.
This post was last modified on March 11, 2024 4:41 pm