Mumbai:

The special NIA court in Mumbai issued a bail order of Rs 10,000 to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, for failing to attend Monday’s court despite court directions. litigation.

Earlier in the day, Ms Thakur’s lawyer filed an application to exempt his client from appearing in court on health grounds, but the request was dismissed by National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court judge AK Lahoti.

Bailable warrants will be returned on March 20.

“In view of her last application (filed on March 5), accused No. 1 (Thakur) was specifically directed to remain present on Monday, March 11, along with the medical certificate. Notwithstanding the above directions, Neither she nor the original medical certificate was present. The certificate is on record,” the court noted.

“Consequently, I am not inclined to grant the present application (seeking exemption from appearance). Bail order of Rs 10,000 is issued to her to be returned on March 20,” it added.

In her exemption plea, her advocate JP Mishra mentioned that Thakur’s doctor in Bhopal, the Lok Sabha constituency, said she was feeling dizzy and could travel at her own risk.

A bailable order contains a direction that the arrested person may be released if he/she executes bail and appears in court with sufficient recognizance.

Last month, the judge warned the Hindu activist that she would take “necessary action” if she failed to attend court in the case, which is more than 15 years old.

Earlier, the court had also specifically directed her to appear in court and attend the hearing.

The Lok Sabha MP had made several requests for immunity on health grounds in the past, which were considered by courts at the time, but the Lok Sabha MP’s renomination from the Bhopal seat in the upcoming polls was rejected.

Thakur and six other accused are being tried under strict anti-terror laws, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The court is currently recording the statements of the accused under relevant sections of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

On September 29, 2008, an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle exploded near a mosque in Malegaon town, about 200 kilometers from Mumbai in northern Maharashtra state, killing six people and injuring more than 100 people.

The case was initially investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and later handed over to the National Intelligence Agency in 2011.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)