BJP MP Pragya Thakur has been nominated to a 21-member parliamentary consultative committee on defence that will be headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. An accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, Pragya Thakur is currently out on bail, granted on grounds of ill health, and faces multiple charges under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act. In its response the Congress called the appointment "an insult to our nation's defence forces".