Court refuses police custody for Pragya, Purohit after torture claim
Special Mcoca judge Y D Shinde rejected the ATS plea for remanding the trio to its custody for further questioning and instead sent them and four other accused in judicial custody till December 3.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: In a setback to the Maharashtra ATS, a Mcoca court in Mumbai on Monday refused to grant it custody of Malegaon accused sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and Ajay Rahirkar. Special Mcoca judge Y D Shinde rejected the ATS plea for remanding the trio to its custody for further questioning and instead sent them and four other accused in judicial custody till December 3.
The prosecution had sought police custody of only Sadhvi, Purohit and Rahirkar to find out the ���sinister design of Hindu radical group Abhinav Bharat, which appears to be instrumental in promoting, advocating and inciting unlawful and terrorist activities.���
Sadhvi���s advocate Ganesh Sonavi, however, argued that the only connection sadhvi has with the September 29 Malegaon blast is the vehicle used in the bombing. ���Apart from the vehicle, which was sold to someone else by the sadhvi much before the blasts, ATS has no evidence to connect her to the blast,��� he argued. Purohit���s advocate Shrikant Shivade argued that police custody is sought only for torturing the accused and forcibly extracting a confession from them.
All the seven accused produced before the court on Monday alleged that they were physically and mentally tortured by the ATS while they were in its custody. ���ATS officials threatened to strip me and hang me upside down if I did not confess about my involvement in the blast. I am mentally disturbed and not able to eat anything,��� the Sadhvi told the judge. She also charged ATS with making her watch an obscene CD.
Purohit said he had been hung upside down from a rod and his hands were tied to two poles due to which he has lost sensation from his wrist to his fingers. ���ATS while questioning me said that it would plant RDX in my house and that it would be very easy for it to kill me in an encounter,��� Purohit told the court.
These allegations come in the backdrop of demands from BJP for a probe on the allegations of torture. At a meeting with L K Advani, National security advisor M K Narayanan had promised to look into the complaints of the sadhvi.
The prosecution had sought police custody of only Sadhvi, Purohit and Rahirkar to find out the ���sinister design of Hindu radical group Abhinav Bharat, which appears to be instrumental in promoting, advocating and inciting unlawful and terrorist activities.���
Sadhvi���s advocate Ganesh Sonavi, however, argued that the only connection sadhvi has with the September 29 Malegaon blast is the vehicle used in the bombing. ���Apart from the vehicle, which was sold to someone else by the sadhvi much before the blasts, ATS has no evidence to connect her to the blast,��� he argued. Purohit���s advocate Shrikant Shivade argued that police custody is sought only for torturing the accused and forcibly extracting a confession from them.
All the seven accused produced before the court on Monday alleged that they were physically and mentally tortured by the ATS while they were in its custody. ���ATS officials threatened to strip me and hang me upside down if I did not confess about my involvement in the blast. I am mentally disturbed and not able to eat anything,��� the Sadhvi told the judge. She also charged ATS with making her watch an obscene CD.
Purohit said he had been hung upside down from a rod and his hands were tied to two poles due to which he has lost sensation from his wrist to his fingers. ���ATS while questioning me said that it would plant RDX in my house and that it would be very easy for it to kill me in an encounter,��� Purohit told the court.
These allegations come in the backdrop of demands from BJP for a probe on the allegations of torture. At a meeting with L K Advani, National security advisor M K Narayanan had promised to look into the complaints of the sadhvi.
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