Malegaon blasts case: HC admits discharge pleas of Sadhvi, Purohit

The Bombay High Court on Monday admitted the appeal filed by Hindu right-wing activist Sadhvi Pragyasingh Thakur, prime accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. She has challenged the orders of the special court, which refused to discharge her from the case.

Sadhvi Pragyasingh moved the division bench by Justices Ranjit More and Anuja Prabhudesai through her counsel Prashant Maggu. The bench admitted her plea and adjourned it till August 13 for hearing along with a similar appeal filed by co-accused Colonel SP Purohit.

Now, the bench will hear the pleas of the Sadhvi, Purohit and co-accused Sameer Kulkarni on August 13.

The Sadhvi has challenged the orders of the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court, which rejected her discharge application in December 2017. She had filed the discharge plea in the special court after she was bailed out by the Bombay High Court in April last year.

In her discharge plea before the trial court, she had cited the observations made by the bench headed by Justice Ranjit More while granting her bail. It may be noted that in the orders granting bail to the Sadhvi, Justice More had held there was ‘no prima facie’ material against her. However, the then special Judge Shripad Tekale, had turned down her discharge plea.

Aggrieved by the orders of special Judge Tekale, who has been transferred after his decision on the Sadhvi’s discharge plea, she has now petitioned the high court.

“We have challenged the orders of the special judge who failed to consider the fact that my client has been given a clean chit by the NIA. The special court also did not consider the finding of the HC, which categorically stated there is no prima facie evidence against Sadhvi,” advocate Prashant Maggu had told The Free Press Journal, on March 14, 2018, while confirming the news of their approaching the court for discharge.

It may be noted the NIA had granted a clean chit to the Sadhvi and dropped all the charges invoked against her by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The NIA, in its chargesheet filed in May 2016, had exonerated the Sadhvi for want of evidence.