BJP MP from Bhopal Sadhvi Pragnya Singh Thakur on Friday denied before a special court here that she had any knowledge of the Malegaon 2008 blasts, a case in which she is a prime accused.
Making an appearance before a Special NIA court after remaining absent on several occasions and also pleading for exemption from personal appearance, Sadhvi Pragya said: “ I don’t know”, when she was asked whether she had knowledge of the 2008 Malegaon blasts.
Additional sessions judge VS Padalkar, who presides over a special NIA court, asked Sadhvi Pragya if knew as to how many witnesses had been examined so far in the case. Sadhvi responded by saying: “I don’t know” .
The Judge told her that as many as 116 witnesses had so far been examined and they included the panch witnesses and in most of the hearings the accused were represented by their lawyers. The judge asked Sadhvi Pragya, who was with Sudhakar Diwedi, a seer, in the witness box whether she was aware of the 2008 Malegaon blasts in which six persons were killed, she said: “mujhe jaankari nahi hai” (I am not aware).
Incidentally, Sadhvi Pragya was present in the court on October 30, 2018 when the charged her, Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit and five other accused under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and various other sections of the IPC for their alleged involvement in the 2008 blasts. Forty-nine-year-old Sadhvi Pragya appeared in the courtroom in saffron robes. Her aides put a red cloth on the benches for her to sit comfortably.
Sadhavi made her appearance in the Special Court after skipping two earlier dates, including the last one on Thursday, when she was granted a day’s exemption from appearance before court owing to her hospitalisation. The newly-elected MP had been admitted in the hospital late on Wednesday night due to a stomach ailment and was discharged early on Thursday morning.
Sadhvi Pragya is one of the seven accused who are being tried by Special Court under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and various other sections of the IPC for their alleged involvement in the 2008 Malegaon blasts. On October 30, 2018, the special court in Mumbai had framed charges against Sadhvi Pragya, Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit and five other accused in the 2008 Malegaon case.
It may be recalled that an improvised explosive kept under the seat of a LML Freedom motor-bicycle had exploded between Bhikku Chowk and Anjuman Chowk, near Noorani Masjid, at Malegaon in north Maharashtra, on the night of September 29, 2008, leaving six persons dead and injuring 101 others.
On October 30, 2018, a special court in Mumbai framed charges against Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit and five other accused under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and various other sections of the IPC for their alleged involvement in the 2008 blasts.
Seven key accused, including Lt Col Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya, are being tried under sections 16 (committing a terror act) and 18 (criminal conspiracy) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), and sections 120(b) (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 326 (intentionally causing harm to others) of the IPC. They are also being tried for charges under the Explosives Substances Act.
If convicted under these sections, the maximum punishment can be life imprisonment or death.
Apart from Sadhvi Pragya and Lt Col Purohit, the other accused who are facing the trial are: Sudhakar Dwivedi, Major (retd.) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sameer Kulkarni, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Ajay Rahirkar.
Earlier on December 27, 2017, a Special NIA court had dropped charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and five other key accused in the much-discussed case.
However, Additional Sessions Judge SD Tekale had rejected the applications of key accused Lt Col Purhit, Sadhvi Pragya, Sameer Kulkarni, Ramesh Upadhyay and Sudhakar Dwivedi for discharge from the case.
Sadhvi Pragya and Lt Col Purohit were among the 11 persons charge-sheeted by the ATS on January 20, 2009, in connection with 2008 Malegaon blasts.