‘There can be no Hindu terrorists': BJP leaders hail Malegaon verdict
Speaking to ANI, BJP MP from Gorakhpur, Ravi Kishan, expressed sympathy for the accused and their families. 'We don't know whether to be happy or sad. My sister, Sadhvi Pragya, used to sit next to me in Parliament. Her entire body is paralysed. What must the accused and their families have gone through, having faced such false allegations... Who will return those 17 years?' Ravi Kishan said.
'The Congress, which coined the term 'Bhagwa Terrorism', must answer. They are all accountable... They have to answer to 100 crore Hindus — with what proof did they start speaking of 'Bhagwa Terrorism'? Who was the mastermind behind this narrative?... The Home Minister said it yesterday, and it has been proven today that a Hindu cannot be a terrorist... We will demand an answer in Parliament on the use of the term 'Bhagwa Terrorism',' he added.
Pragya Singh Thakur, a former BJP MP, was among the seven acquitted by the special NIA court in Mumbai in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.
Special NIA Judge AK Lahoti said that there was no "cogent and reliable" evidence to justify a conviction. The court observed that the prosecution "has failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt."
The blast, which occurred on September 29, 2008, near a mosque in Malegaon, Maharashtra, claimed six lives and left around 100 injured.
What did the court say about the alleged 2008 bike blast?
Judge AK Lahoti, while delivering the verdict, stated that the prosecution could not establish that the bomb was placed in the specific motorcycle, according to ANI.
'The bike allegedly involved in the blast did not have a clear chassis number. Prosecution could not prove that it was in (Pragya Thakur's) possession immediately before the blast,' the court observed.
Commenting on the investigation, the court noted significant lapses, saying, 'No sketch of the spot was done by the investigation officer while doing the panchnama. No fingerprint, dump data or anything else was collected for the spot. The samples were contaminated, so the reports can't be conclusive and are not reliable.'
Regarding co-accused Lt Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit, the court said, 'There is no evidence of storing or assembling the explosives in Shrikant Prasad Purohit's residence,' leading to his acquittal as well.
On the applicability of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the court ruled that it could not be invoked in this case, stating, 'Sanction was not taken as per rules.' It further remarked, "Both the sanction orders of the UAPA in the case are defective."
The court also found inconsistencies in the reported number of injured, concluding that it was 95 and not 101 as previously claimed. It mentioned irregularities in medical documentation, noting 'manipulation in some medical certificates.'
The case had been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2011, after initially being investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). All accused had been out on bail prior to the verdict.
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