Malegaon blast case: Special court issues bailable warrant against BJP MP Pragya Thakur

Mumbai: A special NIA court here on Monday issued a bailable warrant against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, for failing to appear before it despite repeated warnings.

Thakur and six others are facing trial in the case under provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court is currently recording statements of the accused under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

The special court had earlier directed the accused in the case to appear before it for hearings.

Special judge A K Lahoti issued a warrant of Rs 10,000 against Thakur on Monday and asked the probe agency to file a report by March 20.

Last month, the judge had warned Thakur that "necessary action" would be taken against her if she failed to attend the court's proceedings.

Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town about 200 km from Mumbai in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad initially probed the case before it was transferred to the NIA in 2011.