New Delhi

A bench of Supreme Court Justices FMI Kalifulla and Abhay Manohar Sapre today said that there was no evidence to charge Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and others under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA) in the 2008 Malegaon blast case at this stage and their bail could hence be examined on merit afresh by a trial court preferably within one month.

Purohit and Thakur are in jail for last six and half years after their arrest during Congress led UPA government.

SC bench said there was no concrete evidence to show their involvement in any other criminal case and there was “considerable doubt” about the involvement of six accused, including Purohit and Pragya, in Malegaon blasts.

The Supreme Court observed that MCOCA was applicable only against one of the accused, Rakesh Dhawde, who was chargehseeted in two other cases as well.