2008 Malegaon blast: Court seeks NIA report on Sadhvi Pragya’s health condition

NIA directed to verify health of BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, accused in 2008 Malegaon blast case, as her absence hampers court proceedings.

MUMBAI: A special court on Wednesday directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to verify the health condition of BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a prime accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, considering that she had remained absent on several occasions hampering the court proceedings.

BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur (PTI)

On September 29, 2008, six people were killed and over 100 were injured after an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle, purportedly owned by Thakur, went off near a mosque in Malegaon, about 200 km from Mumbai.

Advocate representing Singh on Wednesday sought exemption for Thakur’s appearance, stating that she was seeking medical treatment in her home in Bhopal and further narrated that her physical condition was unforeseen and beyond her control, praying that considering her medical and physical condition sufficient time be granted to recover from the said ailment.

The certificate annexed to the exemption application stated that the accused was suffering from cervical spondylitis and migraine and hence, was advised to take complete bed rest by her doctor.

A special public prosecutor, representing NIA, replied that the accused’s plea had been considered on several occasions, however, the cause cannot be verified as she was not in the city.

After hearing the rival submissions, while granting exemption to the accused for the day, special judge AK Lahoti noted that to overcome the difficulty of residents of other states in getting tickets at the eleventh hour, dates had been provided to all the accused well in advance.

“The accused (Thakur) has been absent for long except on 22/03/2024. On 22/03/2024, the accused appeared before the court and considering her physical and mental condition, she was allowed to leave the court. Thereafter, before departing to Bhopal, she did not turn back in the court to record her statement,” the court said, adding her absence was hampering the court proceedings.

The court called the verification report from NIA Bhopal regarding her health condition, stating that the Mumbai agency unit can correspond with their unit at Bhopal and submit the report to the court on or before April 8.

The NIA court is currently recording statements of the accused under section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).