2008 Malegaon blast case: NIA court examines seized bikes

A special NIA court on Monday examined two motorbikes and five bicycles seized in connection with the 2008 Malegaon blast case in which BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur is facing trial. The bikes were brought to the court premises in a tempo and presented before Special NIA Judge VS Padalkar as evidence in the case.

The judge, a witness and the court staff climbed onto the tempo to examine the bikes kept in it. The court also allowed the defence lawyers to examine the seizures made. Out of the two motorbikes, one allegedly belonged to Thakur as claimed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad. The rear of the bike was completely damaged, while the front portion was intact though detached from the vehicle.

Only one of the eight accused -- Sameer Kulkarni -- appeared before the court today. The hearing in the case was adjourned for tomorrow. Besides Kulkarni and Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Ajay Rahirkar and Sudhakar Chaturvedi are also accused in the case.

They have been charged under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The charges include sections 16 (committing terrorist act) and 18 (conspiring to commit terrorist act) of the UAPA and sections 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 153 (a) (promoting enmity between two religious groups) of the IPC.

Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008. (ANI).

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