Mumbai: Claiming that sadhvi Pragya Singh
Thakur was detained illegally by the Anti-Terrorist Squad
which probed the Malegaon blast case, her lawyer today argued
that even her interrogation was illegal because a woman cannot
be summoned to police station for mere questioning.
The Bombay High Court is currently hearing sadhvi`s
bail application.
ATS started probing her role in the blast conspiracy
after finding out that the motorcycle on which the bomb was
planted belonged to her. Six persons were killed when the bomb
went off in Malegaon on September 29, 2008.
Arguing for her, senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani
claimed she was summoned to Surat by ATS officers on October
9, 2008 and next day, she was asked to accompany ATS team to
Mumbai.
"She voluntarily submitted herself to ATS custody on
October 9," Jethmalani said. However, according to ATS, she
was arrested only on October 23.
ATS claimed that between 11 and 23 she was only
summoned to its office in Mumbai for questioning from time to
time, but was allowed to leave every time.
Jethmalani claimed she had been in ATS custody all
along. Even if she had not been detained, it was illegal for
police to summon a woman for interrogation to police station,
he argued.
PTI
