Malegaon Blasts
Judge hearing Malegaon blast case transferred days before he was likely to reserve verdict
Special Judge AK Lahoti is the fifth judge to be transferred in the 17-year-old case, in which BJP leader Pragya Singh Thakur is the prime accused.
Scroll Staff
6 hours ago
Read in App
Image for representation.
|
Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay
The special judge presiding over the 2008 Malegaon blast case has been transferred to Nashik, days before he was likely to reserve the matter for judgement, PTI reported on Sunday.Special Judge AK Lahoti is the fifth judge to be transferred in the 17-year-old case, in which Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pragya Singh Thakur is the prime accused.On September 29, 2008, six persons were killed and 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a two-wheeler went off near a mosque in north Maharashtra’s Malegaon.Thakur, a former MP, is out on bail. Besides her, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Sameer Kulkarni, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi and Sudhakar Chaturvedi are facing trial in the case.They have been charged under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Indian Penal Code, including for murder.Lahoti is among 222 judges who were transferred as per a notification issued by the Registrar General of the Bombay High Court on Saturday, reported The Indian Express.The typical tenure for a judge in one court is three years. Lahoti had held this post since June 2022.During the last hearing in the case on Saturday, Lahoti directed that arguments should be wrapped by April 15. He was expected to reserve the matter for judgement the following day, PTI quoted a defence lawyer as saying.Noting that Lahoti’s transfer would cause further delays in the trial, the petitioners in the case said that they are planning to approach the High Court with a request that the judge’s tenure be extended.Lawyer Shahid Nadeem, representing the petitioners, had written to the chief justice of the High Court in March as well, reported The Indian Express.“We the victims apprehend that any change in the presiding officer may cause an unavoidable delay in the trial as the newly posted presiding officer would require to familiarise himself with the entire voluminous chargesheet along with exhibited documents and evidence which is running into thousands of pages,” read the letter.The Malegaon blast case was initially investigated by the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad. It was later transferred to the National Investigation Agency in 2011.
Get the app
ANDROID
iOS
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
Malegaon blast
Malegaon
Pragya Singh Thakur
Related
2008 Malegaon blast: Key witness declared hostile, 37th so far
Trending
Beyond the hype, millet cultivation is a challenge
A new book examines the role of the Indian man at home, and his dependence on his family and wife
‘Sita in Exile’: A novel about gender expectations of women in the Ramayana (and the modern world)
‘Quality translation is important to increase readership’: AJ Thomas, editor of ‘100 Indian Stories’
Ramachandra Guha: Ignored by the ‘national’ media, a disaster is unfolding in Great Nicobar
Watch: ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ re-release trailer is out
Bihar ITICAT 2025 registration deadline postponed; apply till April 17
Credit card defaults rose by 28% in 2024: Reserve Bank of India
Job losses, end to community support: How USAID fund freeze is affecting India
AP ECET 2025 registration concludes today; here’s how to apply
IDBI SCO application 2025 begins at idbibank.in; register till April 20
