Pragya says NIA order on her candidature 'victory of truth'

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], Apr 24 (ANI): Bhopal BJP candidate and Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur on Wednesday termed NIA court's decision to turn down a plea seeking to bar her from contesting poll as the victory of "truth and virtues".
"This is our victory. Truth and dharma (virtue) always win. I already knew it (about the court's decision). I have done no wrong," Pragya told reporters here.
She said that the case against her was a result of a conspiracy by Congress.
Earlier in the day, a special NIA court turned down the application filed by Nisar Ahmed Sayyed Bilal, the father of a victim of the 2008 Malegaon terror blast, seeking to bar Thakur from contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Special NIA Judge Vinod Padalkar while negating the plea, said, “In present ongoing elections, this court does not have any legal powers to prohibit anyone from contesting elections. It is the job of the electoral officers to decide. This court can't stop the accused from contesting elections. This application is negated by this court.”
Special Judge Padalkar stated that the agency cannot mention that there is no prima facie case against Thakur.
The applicant’s lawyer argued before the court that Pragya was not attending the court proceedings on grounds of ill health but undertook election campaign where she is not looking ill.
On Tuesday, Thakur filed her response to the plea and dubbed the petition as “frivolous” adding that the plea was filed with a “political agenda” and was “publicity stunt”.
In her reply filed before the NIA court, Pragya said, "There is no provision in the Representation of Peoples Act 1951, which disqualifies the candidate from contesting elections if a criminal case is pending against him/her."
Thakur is among the seven accused facing trial in the Malegaon blast case, wherein six people were killed and a dozen others were injured when a bomb placed on a motorcycle exploded in Maharashtra's Malegaon on September 29, 2008. (ANI)