BJP MP Pragya Thakur appears before court in 2008 Malegaon blast case
Mumbai, Nov 24: BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, appeared before a special NIA court here on Wednesday.
Thakur, out on bail, had last come to the court in January 2021.
Earlier in the day, her lawyers told special judge for NIA cases P R Sitre that as she was in Mumbai for medical treatment, she would attend the court.
She had not been summoned by the court.
The Bhopal MP arrived at 12.25 PM and sat on a lawyer's chair in the front row.
A soft 'mulmul' cloth was placed on the chair by her aides before she took the seat.
The judge asked about her health, to which Thakur said, "Kabhi theek rehta hai, kabhi nahi (sometimes it is good, sometimes not)."
She has been taking treatment at the Kokilaben hospital in the city, and as the treatment suited her, she came for further treatment, the MP told the judge.
Asked about the nature of her illness, she said she was suffering for multiple ailments.
She will be staying in Mumbai for the next two days and if required get admitted to the hospital, Thakur added.
Judge Sitre then asked her to keep abreast of developments in the trial.
Videos showing the Bhopal MP taking part in 'Garba' dance during Navratri festival and also trying her hand at kabaddi, even though she has obtained bail on medical grounds, had come out in recent months, creating controversy.
During her earlier appearance, Thakur had complained about dirt and "lack of facilities" in the courtroom.
On Wednesday, she said, "The present arrangement is good."
The judge said there were some restrictions due the coronavirus pandemic and cleaning is done in a better way now.
The court then asked her to remain present whenever required, to which Thakur agreed.
Seven persons, including Thakur and Army officer Lt Col Prasad Purohit, are facing trial in the case.
Over 200 witnesses have been examined and eight of them have turned hostile during the trial so far.
No witnesses were examined on Wednesday. The next date of hearing is December 1.
Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a communally sensitive town in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008.
According to Maharashtra police who conducted initial probe, the motorbike was registered in Thakur's name which led to her arrest.
The case was later handed over to the National Investigation Agency.
The Bombay High Court granted bail to Thakur in 2017.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
