Mumbai: Court asks NIA to verify Pragya Thakur's health status after she fails to appear in court

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 3 (ANI): A Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court in Mumbai has asked the NIA Mumbai team to get in touch with the Bhopal team and physically verify the health status of Lok Sabha MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who is an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.
Notably, Pragya Thakur, who is an MP from Bhopal, has not been given a ticket by the Bharatiya Janata Party for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
She was asked to remain physically present in court on Wednesday to record her CrPc 313 statement as an accused but despite the court's prior warning to her, she was not present.
Thakur's lawyer filed an application for exemption from presence today on 'medical grounds'. The court allowed her exemption for Wednesday only based on the medical reports, which suggested that she is suffering from Cervical spondylitis and migraine.
But, the court has also observed that her absence in recording her statement is "hampering" the court proceedings and "delaying" the trial.
The court has asked NIA to file a detailed report about her health on April 8, 2024.
Earlier in March, a special NIA court in Mumbai issued a bailable warrant of Rs 10000 against BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh
On September 29, 2008, six people were killed and over 100 others injured after an explosive device placed on a motorcycle exploded in Maharashtra's Malegaon city, in Nashik town. (ANI)