File photo from 2009 of Malegaon bomb blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur being taken to be produced in court in Mumbai. PTI Photo by Shirish Shete
Mumbai: The Bombay high court today granted bail to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Takhur but denied any relief to co-accused former Lieutent Colonel Prasad Purohit in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.
“The appeal filed by Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur is allowed. The applicant (Sadhvi) is directed to be released on bail on a surety of Rs 5 lakh. The appeal filed by Prasad Purohit stands dismissed,” said a division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Shalini Phansalkar Joshi.
The court directed Pragya to surrender her passport to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
It also directed her not to tamper with the evidence and to report to NIA court as and when required.
“We have said in our order that prima facie there is no case made out against Sadhvi,” More said while refusing to stay today’s order.
Pragya and Purohit are accused of involvement in the Malegaon bomb blast in which eight persons were killed and nearly 80 others were injured when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded in Malegaon on September 29, 2008.
Pragya and Purohit were arrested in 2008 and have been in jail since then.
The court was hearing appeals filed by Pragya and Purohit challenging an earlier order of a special court rejecting their bail pleas.