MP Pragya Thakur skips court hearing in 2008 blast case, court issues bailable warrant against her
Mumbai, Mar 11: A special NIA court in Mumbai issued a bailable warrant of Rs 10,000 against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, for failing to attend court's proceedings on Monday despite a direction from it.
Earlier in the day, Thakur's lawyer filed an application seeking exemption from appearance for his client on medical grounds, but the plea was rejected by special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court Judge A K Lahoti.
The bailable warrant is returnable on March 20.
"It was specifically directed that the accused No.1 (Thakur) remain present on March 11 (Monday), along with medical certificates, considering her last application (filed on March 5). Despite aforesaid directions neither she is present nor the original medical certificate is produced on record," the court noted.
"Therefore, I am not inclined to allow the present application (seeking exemption from court appearance). Issue a bailable warrant of Rs10,000 against her and it is returnable on March 20," it added.
In the exemption plea, her advocate J P Mishra mentioned that Thakur's doctor in Bhopal, her Lok Sabha constituency, has stated that she was feeling dizzy and can travel at her own risk.
A bailable warrant contains a direction that if the person arrested executes a bail with sufficient sureties for his/her attendance before the court, he/she may be released from custody.
Last month, the Judge had warned the Hindutva activist of "necessary action" if she failed to attend the court's proceedings in the more than 15-year-old case.
Earlier too, the court had specifically directed her to appear before it and attend the hearing.
On multiple occasions in the past, the Lok Sabha member, who has been denied renomination from the Bhopal seat for the upcoming polls, had filed exemption pleas on health grounds, which were considered by the court then.
Thakur and six other accused are facing trial in the case under provisions the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), a stringent anti-terror law, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The court is currently recording statements of the accused under relevant provisions of the Criminal Procedures Code (CrPC).
Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town about 200 km from Mumbai in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008.
The case was initially probed by Maharashtra's Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) before being transferred to the NIA in 2011.
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Kejriwal resorting to 'vendetta politics', says BJP after MP Sandeep Pathak booked
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Saturday accused Aam Aadmi Party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal of vendetta politics after Punjab Police booked Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, who recently defected to the BJP.
In an X post, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed that Kejriwal is misusing the Punjab Police to settle political scores, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has become a party to it.
"Two FIRs have been filed against Sandeep Pathak, who until recently was in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a Rajya Sabha MP and general secretary (organisation). What is baffling is the shameless, brazen vendetta politics being pursued by Arvind Kejriwal, with Bhagwant Mann complicit in it," Poonawalla said.
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"It is clear this has been done out of vendetta politics by Kejriwal, who is extremely vengeful and vindictive, and misuses the Punjab Police to pursue such political vendetta," he alleged.
Questioning the timing of the FIRs, Poonawalla said, "If these cases existed from the beginning, why were FIRs not filed earlier? If he was corrupt, why was he kept in the party for so long, especially when he was the general secretary (organisation)? Has any new material surfaced in the last few days, or has the alleged corruption occurred only now?"
He alleged that Kejriwal has an "old habit" of targeting political opponents and dissenters.
"We have seen how he has used the police against rivals, including Congress leaders. This is his old habit," Poonawalla said, referring to the withdrawal of Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh's security.
Poonawalla claimed that several leaders who had left AAP over the years, including Yogendra Yadav, Mayank Gandhi, Ashish Khetan, Ashutosh and Alka Lamba, were "hounded".
He accused the party of failing to introspect.
"Instead of introspecting on how they have changed -- from Anna to Lalu, from Lokpal to corruption -- they are indulging in vendetta politics, trying to victimise people using the strong arm of the law. This reflects an Emergency-like mindset and a dictatorial, Hitlerian mindset," he said.
According to sources, two FIRs have been lodged against Pathak under non-bailable sections.
No further details about the FIRs have been disclosed yet.
On April 24, the AAP suffered a jolt when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs quit, alleging that Arvind Kejriwal's party has strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
Of the seven MPs -- who were Pathak, Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal -- six were from Punjab.
Later, Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan officially accepted their merger with the BJP, reducing AAP's strength in the Upper House to three.
