Mumbai/New Delhi: A Malegaon blast victim’s father and a political activist on Thursday moved the special NIA court and the Election Commission respectively seeking barring of prime accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur from contesting the Lok Sabha polls, a day after the BJP fielded her from Bhopal.
The BJP, meanwhile, said it will contest the polls in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh as a fight against the alleged “conspiracy” by the Congress to defame Hindu religion by linking it to terrorism.
The application before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai was filed by Nisar Sayeed, who lost his son in the blast in 2008.
File image of Sadhvi Pragya. PTI
Special judge VS Padalkar sought replies from both the NIA and Thakur and posted the matter for Monday.
The applicant pleaded that Thakur, who is out on bail, be asked to attend court proceedings in Mumbai and be barred from contesting the election as the trial is in progress. Thakur has spent nine years in jail and is out on bail since 2017 on health grounds.