Mumbai : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has not opposed the bail plea of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who is an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, and left the decision at the discretion of the court.
This came up during the hearing in a special court in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, Wahab Khan, the lawyer representing one of the blast victims, today filed an application in the court to become intervener in this case.
The court has asked the NIA and the accused to reply.
The matter would be heard on Wednesday.
Pragya’s lawyer Prashant Maggu had earlier on May 30 filed the bail plea after the NIA decided to drop her name from the list of accused in its chargesheet.
On May 13, the NIA decided not to name Pragya in its chargesheet in connection with the case. The agency also dropped charges against her under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
The NIA in its chargesheet recommended discharging four accused – Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Shyam Sahu, Shiv Narayan Kalsangra and Praveen Takkalki – saying there was no evidence to prosecute them.
The Malegaon 2008 blast case was a first case in which Hindu extremists, including Lt. Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, were chargesheeted by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in 2009.
The September 2008 blast in the Muslim-majority Malegaon town killed six people and injured 101 others. (ANI)