Malegaon blast suspect Sameer Kulkarni and the two Bajrang Dal activists arrested by the Khadki police for allegedly assaulting Pastor Peter Davis Silway of Vineyard Church in Dapodi in June last year, were granted bail on Thursday. Rajendra Ramhari Lonari and Santosh Kisan Kasbe had been arrested on Wednesday night following Kulkarni’s interrogation.

Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Renuka Satav granted bail to the accused. They were released on a solvent surety of Rs 25,000 each. Assistant public prosecutor B L Kadam said Kulkarni would be handed over to the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) after the identification parade.

Police said that Lonari was working at a washing centre and Santosh at a paan shop. They had accompanied Kulkarni during the attack.

Defence lawyers Suresh Gawli, Sunil Jhape, Dharmendra Khandare and Laxman Nalawade argued that Section 324 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was not applicable against their clients because the stump allegedly used by them for attacking Pastor Silway was not a dangerous weapon. They told the court that section 324 of IPC imposed against their clients was bailable in nature.

Some 200 members of Shiv Sena, the BJP, Hindurashtra Sena and Bajrang Dal shouted slogans and burst crackers outside the court premises and showered flowers on the police vehicle carrying Kulkarni. A huge police force was deployed. Himani Savarkar, president of Abhinav Bharat, was present in the court.