Malegaon blast verdict after 17 years, all 7 accused acquits in 2008 case
Malegaon blast verdict: After 17 years, the special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) today gave its verdict in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case. Even though the court has acquitted all seven accused. In the meanwhile before giving the judgment, the court said that no evidence was found that the bike belonged to Pragya Singh Thakur. UAPA cannot be imposed on the accused. Narrating the history of the case, the judge said that the prosecution could not prove that RDX was planted in the bike found at the blast site. The court said that some medical certificates have been tampered with.
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VHP National Spokesperson Vinod Bansal said
VHP National Spokesperson Vinod Bansal, said this is a tight slap on the face of the Congress. The central leadership of the Congress should apologize to the Hindu society with folded hands. Their story failed. In the process of making Hindus the accused, the real culprits were saved by the Congress party. A double sin was committed. The cup of sins of Congress is full. Congress was a government of blasts.
What did the court say
It was alleged that RDX was brought and used, but neither any evidence of storage of RDX was found in Purohit's house nor it was proved that he assembled the bomb. The judge also said that no empty shells were recovered from the spot, while firing was said to have taken place. Neither any fingerprint or DNA sample was taken. The chassis number of the motorcycle was erased and doubts remained about the engine number as well.
What did the court say about Sadhvi Pragya
No concrete evidence could be presented regarding the ownership or possession of Sadhvi Pragya's vehicle. The court also clarified that no evidence of the alleged conspiratorial meetings held in Faridabad, Bhopal etc. was found. Nor could any conspiracy or meetings be proved. The court had reserved its verdict on April 19 after completing the hearing and final arguments from the prosecution and the defense. The court had said that the hearing was completed in April, but due to more than one lakh pages of evidence and documents in the case, additional time is needed to examine all the records before pronouncing the verdict.
Court had warned
All the accused were ordered to be present in the court on the day of the verdict. The court had also warned that action will be taken against the accused who remains absent on that day. All seven people, that’s includes Colonel Prasad Purohit, former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, were tried in this case. All these people were charged under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) act.
What is the Malegaon Blast Case
On 29 September 2008, an explosion took place in Malegaon, Maharashtra, during the holy month of Ramadan and just before Navratri. Six people lost their lives and more than 100 were injured in the blast. Although in this long trial, the prosecution examined 323 witnesses, of whom 34 turned hostile.
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Summary
However, the investigation was handed over to the NIA in 2011. In 2016, the NIA filed a chargesheet acquitting Pragya Singh Thakur and several other accused, citing insufficient evidence. The verdict, which came nearly 17 years after the incident, was eagerly awaited.
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