"No Evidence": Pragya Thakur, Ex BJP MP, Acquitted In Malegaon Blast Case
Former BJP MP Pragya Thakur was today acquitted of all charges in the 2008 Malegaon blast case after a Mumbai court said there is no evidence to establish that the bike, allegedly used in the blast that claimed six lives, belonged to her.
The judge noted that while the prosecution had proved that the blast happened, it had failed to establish that the explosive was fitted on the LML Freedom motorcycle allegedly belonging to Ms Thakur.
"The motorbike's chassis number was wiped out and engine number is in doubt. There is no evidence to show Sadhvi (Pragya Thakur) is the owner and no evidence to show she was in possession of the vehicle," the judge said, acquitting her after what has been one of the longest terror trials in the country.
Today's verdict caps a 17-year journey that saw Pragya Thakur, daughter of an Ayurvedic practitioner in Madhya Pradesh, make national headlines after being accused of plotting terror attacks to avenge earlier terror strikes such as the 2006 Mumbai train blasts. Then in her late 30s, Ms Thakur was called the face of "Hindu terror", a term that gained currency after the 2008 blasts in Malegaon. She was accused of arranging manpower for the blast, while her co-accused, former Army officer Prasad Purohit, provided the explosives. Both were acquitted today, along with five others.
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