Supreme Court Upholds Rejection of Plea in Malegaon Blast Case

The Supreme Court rejected Sameer Kulkarni's plea challenging the Maharashtra government's sanction for prosecution under UAPA in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. The court upheld the Bombay High Court's decision, stating no reason to interfere. Kulkarni had argued for the necessity of central government sanction post-NIA involvement.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the plea filed by Sameer Kulkarni, who was arrested in relation to the 2008 Malegaon blast case. Kulkarni had challenged the Maharashtra government's prosecution sanction under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Aravind Kumar upheld the Bombay High Court's decision, stating that there was no reason to interfere with the previous judgement. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing Kulkarni, argued that the prosecution lacked a necessary sanction under Section 45(2) of the UAPA, which is required for sustaining charges.

Divan further contended that with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) now handling the case, a sanction from the central government was essential. However, the Supreme Court had already stayed proceedings against Kulkarni on April 30. It had earlier been reported that six individuals were killed and nearly 100 injured from a bomb explosion in Malegaon in September 2008. Other suspects, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, were arrested, though she was later given a clean chit by the NIA.

(With inputs from agencies.)