New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) The Supreme Court Thursday reserved its verdict on a petition by Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur seeking bail in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast in Maharashtra which six people were killed and over hundred injured.
The apex court bench of Justice J.M. Panchal and Justice H.L. Gokhale reserved the order on the conclusion of the arguments wherein senior counsel Mahesh Jethmalani sought the release of Thakur on bail.
He said her arrest was in breach of the constitutional mandate as she was not informed of the grounds of her arrest and was denied the right to legal assistance.
Thakur contended that though she was arrested Oct 10, 2008, police showed her arrest Oct 23 and presented her before the court Oct 24. And all through and till Nov 3, 2008, she was denied access to her lawyer.
According to Maharashtra Police, Thakur was arrested under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) Oct 23, 2008.
Jethmalani told the court that she was not involved in the blast as she had no knowledge about it and was not associated with those involved in it.
The court was told that Thakur was being projected as the face of ‘saffron terror’ whereas the only thing against her was that her motorcycle was used in the crime. Senior counsel told the court that the motorcycle was sold by Thakur to co-accused Sunil Joshi in 2004.
Appearing for the Maharashtra government, senior counsel A. Mariarputham told the court:
?Let us assume what she says is correct. Everything together, even if taken on its face value, this is not a case of illegal detention.?
Senior counsel said that neither before the MCOCA trial court neither before the Bombay High Court she has been able to make out a case that she was arrested by the police Oct 10, 2008, from Surat in Gujarat.
