2008 Malegaon blast: NIA clears Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur to apply for discharge in case

As soon as Bombay High Court granted bail to 2008 Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur last week, her lawyers filed an application in the trial court asking for her to be discharged from the case.

NIA last year filed a supplementary chargesheet in the case stating that evidence against Sadhvi could not be established and even alleged that the ATS' investigation was wrong.

Sadhvi's lawyers then filed for bail in trial court, rejecting which, the court said, 'whether the chargesheet of ATS was right or that of NIA, was something only the trial court will determine.'

Pragya Thakur's lawyers filed an appeal against this last year in the Bombay High Court.

The court while granting her bail said,"If reports of ATS and NIA are



considered conjointly, it cannot be said that there are reasonable grounds for believing that accusation made against her are prima facie true."

NIA CLEARS PRAGYA

NIA has filed a reply to Sadhvi Pragya Thakur's discharge application, saying it has no objection to her application.

Sadhvi Pragya was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and it was the bike used in the blast, that led the investigating team to her.

ATS had said that Sadhvi Pragya Thakur had given her bike to the absconding accused Ramji Kalsangra to be used to store RDX. It was the same bike that exploded in the busy market on September 29.  The blast killed four and injured at least 79.

The special NIA court is likely to pass an order on this soon.