Bharatiya Janata Party MP and prime accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, Pragya Singh Thakur, got VIP treatment in a special court where she made a rare appearance on Wednesday.
The politician had a chit-chat with the special judge while sitting next to her lawyer instead of in the box for the accused at the back of the courtroom.
As soon she entered the courtroom, special judge Prashant R. Sitre enquired about her health and asked her to take a seat. She sat next to her lawyer, after a velvet cloth was spread across for her.
She gave an account about her health to the court. “Kabhi theek rehta hai, kabhi nahi,” she said and added that she has been taking treatment at Kokilaben hospital, which has suited her. She elaborated that she has veins-related health concern and may get admitted at Kokilaben.
Her advocate JP Mishra informed the court that she will be examined at the hospital and, if necessary, will remain there for two to four days.
Judge Sitre told her to keep track of the developments in the trial in terms of the number of witnesses, etc and then told her advocate to apprise her of the same.
Thakur told the court about the arrangements, “Abhi wyawastha achi ho gayi hai -- security wise, too. Pichli baar bahut dikkat hui.”
Judge Sitre said that “some things have to be maintained” and said that due to COVID-19 earlier there were restrictions. On Wednesday, additional security was present outside the courtroom as she was arriving.
Before the court said she could leave, it told her to come as and when asked to, to which she agreed.
She made her appearance before court on Wednesday as the court had asked all the accused to appear before it after Diwali. Thakur had last made her appearance in court in January this year.
In June 2019, the then newly elected MP had chosen to stand for over two hours while a witness was deposing in the case. The court was then presided over by Sitre's predecessor VS Padalakar. While he had offered that she could sit, the then newly elected MP had preferred to stand. She had later thrown a fit about the state of the chair she was offered and the lack of cleanliness in the courtroom.