BJP leader Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in 2008 Malegaon blast, on Tuesday, sought dismissal of the application seeking to bar her from contesting the Lok Sabha polls even as the NIA distanced itself from the issue. Thakur, through her lawyer, filed a reply before special judge for National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases V S Padalkar, dubbing the application as “frivolous” and moved with a “political agenda”. The father of one of the blast victims moved the court last Thursday, urging it to bar Thakur, the prime accused in the case, from contesting the election.
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In her response, Thakur said, “The applicant has deliberately chosen this court to ventilate misconceived and frivolous application for want of publicity and extraneous reasons with political agenda,” she said. It has not only wasted the precious time of this court, but also attempted to consequentially drag, demean and lower the dignity and reputation of the court, Thakur said in her response. She prayed the court to dismiss the application with an exemplary cost and also urged that the applicant be dealt with sternly for filing such a “frivolous” plea.
Meanwhile, the NIA in its reply submitted that it has no jurisdiction to say anything in the matter. “The matter of contesting election is not related to this court and it is to be decided by the Election Commission only,” it said. On the cancellation of Thakur’s bail, the NIA submitted that a petition against it was pending in the Supreme Court. The court later adjourned the matter to Wednesday for further hearing. Nisar Sayyad, who lost his son in the blast, filed the application against Thakur last week after the BJP fielded her from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat,where she is locked in a battle with Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh.