The Bombay High Court yesterday granted bail to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, one of the key accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, nearly nine years after her arrest.
However, the appeal by her co-accused – former army officer Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit – was rejected by the court. Purohit had challenged a lower court’s rejection of his bail plea.
“Taking into account the totality of the facts and circumstances, we allow the appeal and (Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur) is directed to be released on bail,” said a division bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi.
The court also said that prima facie, there was no case made out against the Sadhvi, who has been granted bail 11 months after the National Investigation Agency gave her a ‘clean chit’ in May 2016.
Sadhvi Pragya’s lawyer J P Mishra sought a month’s time to arrange the bail amount and surety, which the court accepted.
“In the meantime, while we arrange the money and surety, we shall get her released by this week from custody,” Mishra said.
She was arrested on October 23, 2008.
The investigating agencies had said earlier that the terror strike was carried out allegedly by right-wing group Abhinav Bharat. Eleven accused, including Sadhvi and Purohit, were arrested.
Soon after she was given bail, NGO Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra said it will challenge the order in the Supreme Court.
“The JUeM, on behalf of the blast victims, intervened and opposed the bail of Sadhvi and Purohit. We have been providing legal assistance to the victims and shall now challenge the bail order in the Supreme Court,” the organisation said in a statement.
At least six people were killed in the blast in Malegaon, a Muslim-dominated powerloom town in Nashik district, on September 29, 2008.
In their detailed 78-page verdict, Justice More and Justice Phansalkar-Joshi said a motorcycle used in the blast was registered in Sadhvi’s name.
But investigations later revealed it was in possession of an absconder – accused Ramchandra Kalsangra alias Ramji, confirmed by several prosecution witnesses.
After her arrest, the Sadhvi was charged with planning the blast and providing a two-wheeler used to plant the bomb.
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