"Bygones Are Bygones": Lt Col Prasad Purohit On Malegaon Blasts Acquittal

Shortly after all seven accused were acquitted in the Malegaon blasts case, one of the accused Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit thanked the nation, Indian Army and his team of lawyers. He added that he was accused of something and then exonerated, and now "bygones should be bygones".

"I want to thank the Indian Army, which is known to hold the hands of its soldiers. I thank my legal team, who fought the case pro bono. I am forever indebted to these people," he told NDTV.

Mr Purohit, who was reinstated in the Army pending trial, said he would continue serving the organisation and the nation.

An explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon town, located about 200 km from Mumbai, on September 29, 2008 killing six persons and injuring 101 others.

Nearly 17 years after the blasts in Maharashtra's Malegaon claimed six lives, a special court acquitted all the seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Thakur. The court noted that the prosecution failed to prove the motorcycle that allegedly triggered the blasts belonged to Ms Thakur. The court also observed that while the prosecution had proven a bomb blast did occur, it failed to establish that the explosive was planted on the motorbike.

The court said there was "no reliable and cogent evidence" against the accused. Terrorism has no religion, the court said, adding it cannot convict on mere perception.

In its final argument, the NIA had submitted that the blast in Malegaon - a town with a sizable Muslim population - was orchestrated by the conspirators to terrorise a section of Muslim community, disrupt essential services, create communal tensions and threaten the state's internal security.

The blast took place during the holy month of Ramzan, just before the Navratri festival, the NIA pointed out, claiming the intention of the accused was to strike terror in a section of the Muslim community.

During the trial, the prosecution presented 323 witnesses, of whom 37 turned hostile.

Ms Thakur said the acquittal was not just a win for her, but for every "bhagwa" (saffron). She also said her life was ruined for the past 17 years, and that God will punish those who tried to insult "bhagwa". "This case was not just fought by me but by Bhagwa (saffron). Mera pura jeewan kalankit kar diya tha (my whole life had been disgraced). "Aaj Bhagwa ki vijay hui hai, nyay ki jeet hui hai (today Bhagwa has won, justice has won). Jisne bhi bhagwa ko badnaam kiya bhagwaan use saza dega (whoever insulted bhagwa, God will punish them)," Thakur told the court.

Besides Ms Thakur and Mr Purohit, the accused comprised Major Ramesh Upadhyay (Retd), Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni.