2008 Malegaon Blast Verdict Updates: All seven accused have been acquitted.
All seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and former Army officer Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, have been acquitted by a special NIA court in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, in which six people died and may were injured.
The Special NIA court said that the prosecution failed to prove the case; accused deserve benefit of doubt. They have been acquitted of all charges of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Arms Act and other charges.
The blast took place on September 29, 2008, in Malegaon, a communally sensitive town in Maharashtra. The explosion occurred during the month of Ramzan and just before the festival of Navratri.
Here are the 5 big things court said while delivering the verdict:
- Prosecution proved that a blast occurred in Malegaon, but failed to prove that a bomb was placed in that motorcycle. Injured count not 101, but 95. Even medical certificates were manipulated.
- Though RDX was brought and used is the allegation, there is no evidence of storage of RDX in Lt Colonel Purohit's house and no evidence to show he assembled it.
- The motorcycle chassis number was wiped out and the engine number is under doubt. There is no evidence to show Pragya Thakur is the owner and was in possession of the bike.
- No doubt terror has no religion, but conviction cannot happen based on the evidence presented.
- UAPA will not be invoked in this case as sanction was not taken as per rules. Both the sanction orders of the UAPA in the case are defective.
