Partial relief for Sadhavi Pragya and Col Purohit.
Special NIA court in Mumbai has dropped MCOCA charges against Sadhvi Pragya, Col Purohit and two others in connection with the 2008 Malegaon case. However, they will be tried under UAPA section 18 and other IPC sections. Six people were killed and nearly 100 were injured in a bomb blast in Malegaon on September 29, 2008.
Both Purohit and Pragya are currently out in bail and that will continue, ordered NIA Court. The next date of hearing is January 15. The court also let off three accused Shyam Sahu, Shivnarayan Kalsangra and Praveen Takalki as innocent.
The court said the accused persons will face trial 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.
"The UAPA sections 17 (raising funds for a terrorist organisation or a terrorist attack), 20 (being part of a terrorist organisation) and 23 (aiding somebody who is part of a terrorist organisation) have been dropped against all accused," special NIA judge S D Tekale said.
Malegoan case was described as Hindu terror planned by group Abhinav Bharat. Pragya and Purohit were accused of being part of the conspiracy which lead to the blast. On April 25, the Bombay High Court had granted Thakur bail on the grounds that prima facie, there was no evidence against her and thus she deserved bail. It, however, said that it was only passing an order with regard to the bail application and not on the merits of the case against her. On being granted bail by the High Court, Thakur had then filed an application before the special NIA Court seeking discharge from the case on the ground that the High Court had already given her a clean chit in its bail application order. Purohit also got bail from SC later.
With agency inputs
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