Sadhvi Pragya gets bail, no relief for Purohit in Malegaon blast case
RULING Bombay HC says no evidence against religious leader, asks her to deposit ₹5 lakh
Bombay high court on Tuesday granted bail to 2008 Malegaon blasts accused Pragya Singh Thakur but refused similar relief to co-accused Lt Col Prasad Purohit.
A bench of justices Ranjit More and Shalini PhansalkarJoshi said the court had found “no prima facie evidence” against the religious leader and asked her to deposit a cash surety of ₹5 lakh.
Six persons were killed in blasts close to a mosque in Maharashtra’s Malegaon on September 29, 2008. In its charge sheet filed next year, the state Anti-Terrorism Squad named 14 people, including Thakur and Purohit.
The families of the victims sought a stay on the order so that they could appeal against it in the Supreme Court.
Thakur’s brother-in-law Bhagwan Jha said the family was delighted. “Finally, we have won. Nine years she was in jail without evidence. Now we will celebrate nationwide,” he told reporters outside the court .
The high court was hearing appeals filed by Thakur and Purohit against an earlier order of a special court that rejected their bail pleas. In her appeal, Thakur argued that the lower court failed to note that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said it found no evidence against her and the charges should be dropped.
Families of some of the victims had been arguing that there was enough evidence in the Anti-Terrorism Squad’s charge sheet to establish that Thakur was a conspirator.
The NIA opposed Purohit’s bail plea and argued that there was prima facie evidence in the form of audio and video recordings, call data records and witness statements that proved his involvement in the case.
Purohit had argued that the NIA was “selective” in exonerating some accused and that the agency had made him a “scapegoat”.
According to NIA, Purohit had taken part in the conspiracy meetings and even agreed to arrange explosives.