Malegaon Blast: NIA Examines Pragya Thakur’s Alleged Motorcycle

On 29 September 2008, six people were killed and over 100 injured in the blast.

(File Photo: Reuters)

The motorcycle allegedly owned by BJP MP Pragya Thakur, which was used to plant explosives in the 2008 Malegaon blast, was examined by a special National Investigation Court on Tuesday, 9 July, according to The Indian Express.

Prosecution and defence advocates, along with Special Court Judge VS Padalkar examined two motorcycles and five cycles seized from the blast, on the ground floor in the court premises, as they could not be taken to court on the fifth floor.

According to the charges, the bomb was set off with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), fitted in a gold-coloured LML Freedom motorcycle, according to Bar & Bench.

The motorcycle has been allegedly registered in the name of Thakur, who is now out on bail.

The witness, who conducted the spot panchnama, also identified a Honda Unicorn and five bicycles, which were shown to him on Monday as the ones that were seen at the blast site in 2008.

On 29 September 2008, 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 here in north Maharashtra.

According to The Hindu, the Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad had charge-sheeted Thakur in 2009, that it was her motorcycle. The charge sheet further said Thakur's accomplice had carried out the blast at the instigation of Thakur.

However, the NIA had found that the evidence against Thakur was not substantial.

The Bombay High Court, had granted bail to Thakur on 25 April 2017, relying on the statements of witnesses to show that she was not in possession of the motorcycle.

In October last year, the court had framed charges in the case against all the seven accused for terror activities, criminal conspiracy and murder, among others.

The accused face trial under sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

They were charged under sections 16 (committing terrorist act) and 18 (conspiring to commit terrorist act) of the UAPA.

Under the IPC, they were charged under sections 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 153 (a) (promoting enmity between two religious groups).

The accused were also charged under relevant sections of the Explosive Substances Act.

(With inputs from The Indian Express, Bar & Bench and The Hindu.)