Mumbai:

A special court in Mumbai on Wednesday stayed the bail order issued against Bharatiya Janata Party MP Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case in Maharashtra The defendant, was previously informed that she was ill and hospitalized. treat.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court also noted that an arrest warrant had not been served on Thakur and directed her to appear before the court on March 27 for a recorded statement.

The court on March 11 issued a bail order of Rs 10,000 to the Lok Sabha member from Bhopal after he failed to appear before the court despite repeated warnings.

Special Judge AK Lahoti then directed Thakur to appear before the court on March 20 and cancel the arrest warrant.

However, the Hindu activist did not appear in court on the appointed date.

On Wednesday, Thakur’s defense lawyer JP Mishra filed an application seeking stay on the arrest warrant issued against her.

He told the bench that Thakur had come to Mumbai for a court hearing but had to be hospitalized as she fell ill after landing at the city airport.

In his order, the judge noted that a bail order issued to the MP on March 11 had not yet been served on her.

“Considering the grounds raised in the application, the bail order is hereby stayed till the time the accused (Thakur) is discharged from hospital,” the court said.

The court has now directed the Lok Sabha member to appear before the court on March 27 to record her final statement under Section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which deals with the power to interrogate the accused.

A bailable order means that the arrested person can be released if he/she is granted bail with sufficient security to appear in court.

Thakur and six others are facing trial under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the over 15-year-old case.

The NIA court hearing the case is currently recording the statements of the accused under CrPC.

On September 29, 2008, an explosive device tied 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 Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Cell initially investigated the case before handing it over to the National Intelligence Agency in 2011.