The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Thursday granted bail to Praveen Takkalki, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts, with Rs. 1 lakh and two sureties. He will have to be present in court whenever the matter comes up for hearing. He was also directed to be present in court on the 30th of every month.
Talking to The Hindu , special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal said, “The agency did not object to his bail. He may be a conspirator, but prima facie there is no evidence to connect him with the crime. He had undergone training for making bombs, but there is nothing to prove that just because he was there, the blast occurred.”
Takkalki had filed a bail application on May 30 after the NIA had filed the supplementary charge sheet stating there was not enough evidence against him.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Takkalki in 2011. He is alleged to be a close associate of another accused, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit. The NIA said the only evidence against Takkalki are the facts mentioned by him in his confessional statements.
