Pragya Singh Thakur
NEW DELHI: Ex-BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur on Thursday said her acquittal by the court is not just a win for her but for every ‘Bhagwa’.“I have been saying this from the very beginning that those who are called for investigation there should be a basis behind that. I was called by them for investigation and was arrested and tortured. This ruined my whole life. I was living a sage’s life, but I was made and an accused, and no one was willingly standing beside us. I am alive because I am a Sanyasi,” Pragya Singh Thakur told court. “They defamed Bhagwa through a conspiracy. Today, Bhagwa has won, and Hindutva has won, and God will punish those who are guilty. However, those who defamed India and Bhagwa have not been proved wrong by you,” she added.The NIA special court in Mumbai delivered its verdict on Thursday, acquitting all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case. The court concluded that the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to the acquittal of the accused, including Pragya Singh Thakur, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi (Shankaracharya), and Sameer Kulkarni.
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The court also ordered Maharashtra government to provide compensation to the victims’ families, awarding Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those injured in the blasts.Throughout the trial, the court examined 323 prosecution witnesses and 8 defense witnesses before reaching its verdict. The accused were acquitted of all charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act, and other related charges.Judge Abhay Lohati noted, “Prosecution proved that a blast occurred in Malegaon but failed to prove that bomb was placed in that motorcycle”.The court also pointed out discrepancies in the medical records, stating, “Court has come to a conclusion that injured people were not 101 but 95 only and there was manipulation. In some medical certificates.”The court found no evidence of explosives being stored or assembled at the residence of Prasad Purohit, another accused in the case.“No sketch of spot was done by the investigation officer while doing panchnama. No finger print , dump data or anything else was collected for the spot. The samples were contaminated so reports can’t be conclusive and relied upon,” the court said.The case dates back to September 29, 2008, when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon City’s Bhikku Chowk, resulting in the deaths of six people and injuring 95 others.
