The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday sought more time from a Mumbai court to file a charge sheet in the 2008 Malegaon blast case involving members of Abhinav Bharat, even as Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi refused to decide whether the agency should retain the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in the case.
Though the case was transferred to the NIA in 2011, it has still not filed a charge sheet owing to the delay in the probe and multiple petitions filed by the main accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, who have questioned the applicability of the MCOCA. It is learnt that Mr. Rohatgi has only given a “verbal suggestion” to the agency and has not given any written reply. The NIA, through the Home Ministry, had written to Mr. Rohatgi, seeking its reply on dropping MCOCA charges against the 14 accused, including Lt. Col. Purohit and Thakur.
An NIA official said that even if MCOCA charges were dropped, the Sections under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act were enough to prosecute the accused.
