NEW DELHI, April 25 (Xinhua) -- A High Court in Mumbai Tuesday granted bail to a female Hindu priest who was accused of orchestrating a blast in India's western state of Maharashtra's Malegaon town in September 2008, in which seven people were killed and 100 others injured.
Although the High Court in Mumbai released the female priest, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, on a bail bond of 500,000 rupees (8,000 U.S. dollars), another accused in the same case, Lt. Col. Shrikant Purohit, an army officer, has been denied bail.
The duo, who have been in judicial custody since their arrests nearly eight years ago, recently approached the High Court for bail after a trial court in Maharashtra hearing their case rejected their bail applications.
The High Court in Mumbai has directed Sadhvi Pragya to submit her passport to the country's anti-terror National Investigation Agency and ordered her to report as and when required.
The Malegaon blasts took place on September 29, 2008, when two bombs fitted on a motorcycle exploded in the town, some 270 km from Mumbai. The duo were arrested in October that year and both were charged with plotting the blasts as part of a pro-Hindu group, Abhinav Bharat.
The National Investigation Agency last year dropped charges against Sadhvi Pragya and five others in the case, saying there was no solid proof against them. But it recommended prosecuting Lt. Col. Purohit for conspiracy in the case.
