Mumbai: National Investigating Agency on Saturday
opposed the bail plea of a key accused in the Malegaon 2008
blast, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, in the special MCOCA court,
saying she aided and abetted the other accused with the full
knowledge of the strike and had offered all support.
On November 18, Thakur had filed a bail application in
the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA)
court for the third time saying that she was falsely
implicated in the case.
While opposing the bail, NIA`s public prosecutor Rohini
Salian told the court that, "The investigating agency has
concrete evidence against her linking to the blast. She is
member of an organised crime syndicate and has aided and
abetted the other accused with the full knowledge to
accomplish the object of conspiracy."
"A motor cycle registered in her name was used to plant
the bomb," she stated.
The application filed by the NIA states that Thakur
was in association with arrested as well as wanted accused
Ramchandra Kalasangraha and Sandeep Dange who executed the
blast and there is enough material against her in the charge
sheet.
Thakur, against whom there is ample material, has not
made out a case to satisfy the court to hold that there are
reasonable grounds for believing that she is not guilty of
offences, which are leveled against her, it said.
Further arguments over the bail plea would be heard on
January 21.
Her two bail applications filed earlier, one saying
that the ATS had failed to file the charge sheet in time and
another one on the ground that she was ill, were rejected by
the court.
In her latest application, she had stated she should be
given bail on the ground of parity as three other accused in
the case, Shyam Shahu, Shivji Kalsangrah and Ajay Rahirkar
were given bail.
Twelve persons including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur
and Lt Col Prasad Purohit were arrested for carrying out blast
at Malegaon on September 29, 2008, killing six persons and
injuring 100 others.
The accused have been booked under the stringent
Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), Unlawful
Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), besides the Indian Penal
Code (IPC).
The trial is yet to commence as some of the accused have
challenged the invocation of MCOCA in the case before the
Supreme Court, which is pending.
"Thakur along with other accused entered a criminal
conspiracy to strike terror in the minds of people by
exploding bomb in Malegaon," the NIA claimed adding that
Thakur, a member of rightwing organisation Abhinav Bharat "had
offered all logistics support required for blast bomb at the
target place and insisted to procure RDX and also offered
service of a close confident,".
The statements of witnesses had revealed that accused
have discussed about the Malegaon bomb blast. The wanted
accused Kalasangraha, the witness claimed, had admitted having
planted bomb on the motor cycles of Thakur by erasing chassis
and engine number at Malegaon. Thakur had asked Kalasangraha
how come very few people died in the blast, the NIA stated.
"Kalasangraha replied that he did not get chance to park
the motorcycle in the crowded area so he had parked it at a
less crowded place," NIA said.
"Purohit had stated that Malegaon has a large number
of Muslims. It was necessary to do some action there. If bomb
explosion is carried out there, it will be good retaliation of
atrocities on Hindus. At this time, Thakur showed her
readiness to provided men for such action," the NIA stated.
Asking the court to reject Thakur`s bail plea, the
top agency stated that "There is every likelihood of Thakur
committing further offence if bail is granted. There is every
likely-hood that she would tamper with evidence and witnesses
in the case. The probe is still in progress and two main
wanted accused are still at large and granting bail to Thakur
will jeopardize the final outcome of the case."
PTI
