Sadhvi Pragnya Singh Thakur, prime accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, has filed a fresh bail application in the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court here.
The court has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file a reply by December 5, Sadhvi's counsel Ganesh Sovani told The Hindu on Friday.
She had pleaded for ‘bail by default' in her previous bail petition. “This time she has filed the bail application on the basis of the merits of her case. We have also given certain medical grounds for seeking bail,” Mr. Sovani said.
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The Sadhvi earlier applied for bail in the MCOCA court, but it was rejected. She subsequently appealed against the decision and took the case to the Supreme Court. But the apex court rejected her plea on September 23 this year.
“The applicant states that this is her maiden bail application of its kind on the merits of the case, in which she is disputing the investigation carried by the earlier investigation agency ATS, reflecting in the charge sheet and as such none of the grounds which would reflect hereinafter have never been raised or contended by the applicant in her three independent bail by default plea,” the bail application submitted before the special MCOCA court on November 15 said.
“She has also sought parity since three other accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case have been granted bail by the High Court,” Mr. Sovani said. In August this year, the Bombay High Court granted bail to Shivnarayan Gopalsingh Kalsangra and Shyam Bhavarlal Sahu citing insufficient evidence to link them to the crime.
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A few days ago, the court granted bail to another accused Ajay Rahirkar. The court had then observed that the recorded conversation produced as proof by the prosecution did not show Rahirkar's involvement.The Sadhvi has also said in her bail plea that she required long and time consuming ayurvedic treatment for which she should be granted bail.