Listen To This Post

Thenewsdose.com

Mumbai,July31,1.30PM

In a significant verdict, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and former Army officer Lt. Col. Shrikant Purohit, in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Delivering the judgment, the court observed that “suspicion, however strong, cannot be a ground for conviction” under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), under which the accused had faced trial for more than a decade. The judge noted that there was no “reliable and cogent evidence” to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The Acquitted Accused

Apart from Pragya Thakur, now a BJP MP from Bhopal, and Lt. Col. Purohit, those acquitted include retired Army officer Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahikar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sameer Kulkarni. They had been charged with criminal conspiracy, murder, attempt to murder, promoting enmity between communities, and voluntarily causing hurt.
Court’s Key Observations

The court held that the UAPA provisions invoked in the case were not applicable, given the nature of evidence presented. It stated that the prosecution failed to conclusively prove that the motorcycle allegedly used in the blast was registered in the name of Pragya Thakur.

There was also no credible evidence to prove that the explosion was carried out using a bomb planted on that motorcycle.

The 2008 Malegaon Blast

The blast took place on September 29, 2008, when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon’s Bhikku Chowk. The explosion killed six people and injured 101 others, creating panic and outrage across the region. At the time, investigators alleged that it was part of a conspiracy by Hindu right-wing extremists to target the local Muslim community.
Reaction from the Accused

Soon after the verdict, Pragya Thakur said her acquittal was not merely a personal victory but a vindication for the entire ‘Bhagwa’ (saffron) ideology. All seven accused, who were out on bail, appeared before the court on Thursday morning amid heavy security before hearing the judgment. The prosecution had maintained that the incident was aimed at spreading terror and provoking communal discord. However, the court found that these allegations were unsupported by conclusive proof, leading to the discharge of all accused.