Malegaon blast case: MCOCA charges dropped against Sadhvi Pragya, Lt Col Purohit

Mumbai, December 27 : Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and six others will face trial under an anti-terror law in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case as the special NIA court dismissed their applications for discharge here on Wednesday.
The court has, however, dropped provisions under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against all the accused.
It discharged three accused — Shyam Sahu, Shivnarayan Kalsangra and Praveen Takalki — from the case.The court said the accused persons will face trial under sections 16 (committing a terror act) and 18 (criminal conspiracy) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), and sections 120(b) (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 326 (intentionally causing harm to others) of the IPC. “The UAPA sections 17 (raising funds for a terrorist organisation or a terrorist attack), 20 (being part of a terrorist organisation) and 23 (aiding somebody who is part of a terrorist organisation) have been dropped against all accused,” special NIA judge S D Tekale said.