Don’t let blast victim’s dad assist prosecution: Sadhvi Pragya

Mumbai: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, has approached the high court, challenging a sessions court order allowing Nisar Ahmed, father of a victim who died in the blast, to intervene in trial of 2008 case and assist the prosecution against the accused.

Thakur’s application came up for hearing before the division bench headed by Justice V.K. Tahilramani on Friday and the court issued a notice to Mr Ahmed asking him to file a reply on the issue and deferred hearing the application beyond the summer vacation.

Thakur in her application has alleged that the special NIA court allowed the victim’s father to intervene in this matter without proper application of mind. She has requested the high court to quash and set aside the NIA court’s order allowing Mr Ahmed to intervene in this matter.

Advocate Prashant Maggu on behalf of Thakur has contended that Mr Ahmed was not present near the spot where the blast took place and he did not have any first-hand knowledge to assist the prosecution. She has further claimed that Nisar has filed this intervention application with mala fide and ulterior motives.

The petition further reads that Thakur is already “a victim of false implication at the hands of the prosecution.” According to her application, Thakur could not be exposed to any further risk of prejudice in any manner and “there is absolutely no necessity or purpose for the victim or their families to assist the prosecution.”

Mr Ahmed had approached the trial court last year seeking to intervene in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case and later he also intervened in the bail application filed by both Thakur and Lt. Col. Prasad Shrikant Purohit. Though the high court has already decided both the bail applications, the trial is still pending in the sessions court.