<p class="title">A special court here has granted an exemption to the 2008 Malegaon blast case accused Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and Sudhakar Chaturvedi from appearing before it this week.</p>.<p class="bodytext">When the matter was taken up by the special NIA court on Monday, the three accused filed applications through their lawyers seeking exemption from appearance.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While Thakur and Chaturvedi said they are busy with preparations for the upcoming results of the Lok Sabha polls, which they had contested, Purohit cited personal difficulties.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The court allowed the applications.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The court also allowed an application filed by lawyers of the accused persons to visit the blast site in Malegaon, a town about 200 kilometres from here in Maharashtra's Nashik district.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Last week, the special NIA court, which is conducting a trial against seven accused in the case, had directed all of them to appear before it at least once a week.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It then said an exemption would be granted if cogent reasons were submitted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Thakur, the BJP nominee from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, said in her application that as a candidate, she would have to fulfil certain procedures of the Election Commission, including nominating her agents for the counting of votes in her constituency on May 23.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Chaturvedi, who fought the election as an Independent from Mirzapur seat in Uttar Pradesh, cited the same reason.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Currently, the court is recording the testimony of witnesses in the case.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Besides these three, the other accused in the case are Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi and Sameer Kulkarni. They are all out on bail.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Six people were killed and over 100 injured on September 29, 2008, when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The accused persons are facing trial under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).</p>.<p class="bodytext">They have been charged under UAPA Sections 16 (committing terrorist act) and 18 (conspiring to commit terrorist act).</p>.<p class="bodytext">They are facing charges under 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.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The accused have also been charged under relevant sections of the Explosive Substances Act.</p>
<p class="title">A special court here has granted an exemption to the 2008 Malegaon blast case accused Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and Sudhakar Chaturvedi from appearing before it this week.</p>.<p class="bodytext">When the matter was taken up by the special NIA court on Monday, the three accused filed applications through their lawyers seeking exemption from appearance.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While Thakur and Chaturvedi said they are busy with preparations for the upcoming results of the Lok Sabha polls, which they had contested, Purohit cited personal difficulties.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The court allowed the applications.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The court also allowed an application filed by lawyers of the accused persons to visit the blast site in Malegaon, a town about 200 kilometres from here in Maharashtra's Nashik district.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Last week, the special NIA court, which is conducting a trial against seven accused in the case, had directed all of them to appear before it at least once a week.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It then said an exemption would be granted if cogent reasons were submitted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Thakur, the BJP nominee from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, said in her application that as a candidate, she would have to fulfil certain procedures of the Election Commission, including nominating her agents for the counting of votes in her constituency on May 23.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Chaturvedi, who fought the election as an Independent from Mirzapur seat in Uttar Pradesh, cited the same reason.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Currently, the court is recording the testimony of witnesses in the case.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Besides these three, the other accused in the case are Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi and Sameer Kulkarni. They are all out on bail.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Six people were killed and over 100 injured on September 29, 2008, when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The accused persons are facing trial under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).</p>.<p class="bodytext">They have been charged under UAPA Sections 16 (committing terrorist act) and 18 (conspiring to commit terrorist act).</p>.<p class="bodytext">They are facing charges under 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.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The accused have also been charged under relevant sections of the Explosive Substances Act.</p>