Evening NEWS DIGEST (Early)
25 April 2017: 27 Rajab 1438: Vol: 8, No:174
INDIA
Sadhvi Pragya Thakur gets bail in Malegaon blast case; Bombay HC denies co-accused Purohit's plea
http://www.firstpost.com/india/bombay-hc-grants-bail-to-sadhvi-pragya-thakur-in-2008-malegaon-case-co-accused-purohit-denied-bail-3402750.html
The Bombay High Court has granted bail to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, on Tuesday. However, co-accused Lt Col Prasad Purohit was denied bail by the court.
Pragya Singh Thakur is to furnish Rs 5 lakh bail amount, two sureties of same amount, and has also got to submit her passport to the National Investigation Agency, according to the news agency ANI. In addition to this, she will also have to appear on dates in the trial court.
On 17 April, the NIA told the Supreme Court that there was no need to keep the accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case in police custody, as a chargesheet has been filed in the matter.
A bench of Justices RK Agrawal and AM Sapre were told by counsel for NIA that they were not pressing any more for the custody of accused in the case.
Lt Col. Shrikant Purohit and another other accused, Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi, had moved the apex court saying that the investigation has remained incomplete with NIA failing to file a chargesheet.
They also sought bail and expeditious hearing of the case, saying they have suffered all these years due to the tardy pace of investigation by NIA.
The apex court had earlier directed the special court in Maharashtra to expedite the hearing in the case and decide on the bail pleas of the accused Purohit and Pragya Singh Thakur.
Seven people were killed on 29 September, 2008, at Malegaon, a communally-sensitive textile town in Nashik district of north Maharashtra. The probe into the blast brought into focus the activities of right-wing Hindu groups.
A special court had earlier ruled that the Anti-Terrorist Squad had wrongly applied MCOCA in the case against Pragya, Purohit and nine others.
Last year, in its secondary supplementary chargesheet, the agency had cited lack of evidence against Sadhvi as the reason, and also stated that the draconian MCOCA was not applicable in the case. Purohit, however, remained a key accused in the case.
NIA has recommended prosecution against Ramesh Shivaji Upadhyay, Sameer Sharad Kulkarni, Ajay Rahirkar, Rakesh Dhawde, Jagdish Chintaman Mahatre, Prasad Shrikant Puruhit, Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ramchandra Kalsangra (wanted) and Sandeep Dange (wanted) under the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act and the Explosives Substances Act. Firstpost
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 12:54 PM)
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