After 17 Years Sadhvi Pragya, Others Cleared in 2008 Malegaon Blast – Verdict Sparks Debate
Mumbai/Bhopal (The Uttam Hindu): In a dramatic turn of events, a special NIA court on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, ending a 17-year-long legal battle that had captured the nation’s attention and political discourse for over a decade.
The court declared that the prosecution failed to prove the involvement of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. Among the acquitted were high-profile names like BJP leader and former MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit, and others including Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Sameer Kulkarni, and Sudhakar Dwivedi.
Delivering the verdict, Special Judge A.K. Lahoti said the prosecution couldn’t conclusively establish that the motorcycle used in the explosion was registered in Pragya’s name, or that Purohit had prepared or supplied the explosives used in the blast.
The court further noted that no concrete evidence of a criminal conspiracy could be established during the trial. As a result, all accused were granted the benefit of the doubt and were acquitted of all charges.