Malegaon case: Special NIA court asks BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur to appear before it or face action

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Monday asked Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) MP Pragya Singh Thakur to appear before the court from Tuesday, February 27, to record her statements in the Malegaon blast case or face "necessary action", PTI reported. Special Judge AK Lahoti passed this direction on February 22 while granting Pragya Singh Thakur's plea for exemption for the day on medical grounds.

The NIA court is presently documenting statements from the accused in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Noting that Pragya Singh Thakur and several other accused individuals have consistently been absent on the scheduled court dates, the court warned the BJP of "necessary action" if she fails to appear before it from Tuesday onwards.

"Time to time, their exemption applications for the reasons put forth by them are also considered by the court. It is observed that some accused are residents of other states and while moving the application they used to mention that they face difficulty in getting tickets at eleventh hour. So, they could not attend the court," the court said.

The court said to overcome the aforesaid difficulty, dates are given in advance to all the accused. Consequently, exemptions on the same basis will not be entertained, the court said.

While the court considered Pragya Singh Thakur's plea for the day, it directed her to remain present from February 27 onwards "without fail, else, necessary steps will be taken".

The court also directed all the accused to be present on their dates till their statements are recorded. "Needless to say they [accused] could stay in Mumbai and if there is ill health, they could get medication in Mumbai also," the court noted.

Pragya Singh Thakur is an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. The BJP MP and six others are facing trial in the case under provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Indian Penal Code (IPC).

MALEGAON CASE

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 case was initially probed by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad before it was transferred to the NIA in 2011. Thakur is BJP MP from Bhopal.

(With agency inputs)