A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday, 20 June, rejected BJP MP Pragya Thakur's plea seeking exemption from appearing before it once a week in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, reported ANI.
On 3 June, the court had directed Thakur and all the others accused in the case to appear once a week.
Thakur, who is a key accused in the case, had sought exemption from appearance citing ill-health and on the ground that she is a Member of Parliament, due to which she has to attend the parliament on a day-to-day basis.
The court stated that these grounds were not reasonable for granting a permanent exemption from attending the court once in a week during day-to-day hearing of the blast case. However, the court granted her exemption for Thursday, from attending the court, reported ANI.
Thakur and six other accused persons are facing trial under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They have been charged under sections 16 (committing terrorist act) and 18 (conspiring to commit terrorist act) of the UAPA. They are also facing charges under IPC sections 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 153(a) (promoting enmity between two religious groups).
The accused have also been charged under relevant sections of the Explosive Substances Act.
Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a power-loom town in north Maharashtra, on 29 September 2008.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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