Our Bureau
Mumbai
Today, on July 31st, a special court in Mumbai ruled on the devastating bomb blast that shook Maharastra’s Malegaon 17 years ago and took away the lives of six people and injured more than a hundred. The court has given its verdict and acquitted all the seven accused in the case including former Bharatiya Janata Party MP Pragya Thakur and former army officer Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit.
The blast that hit Malegaon on the night of September 29 2008, near Bhikku Chowk was one of the most horrific events in India. It targeted the communally tense town of Maharashtra during the holy month of Ramzan.
The Special Judge presiding over the case assigned to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), AK Lahoti, has stated that the prosecution totally failed to prove the allegations in the case leading to all the seven accused getting the benefit of doubt.
The Judge highlighted that the prosecution could not provide any conclusive evidence that proved that the motorcycle used in the blast belonged to BJP MP Pragya Thakur. He addressed that the engine number of the vehicle was unclear and the chassis number had been wiped out.
The court has also explained that although there were allegations that the blast was caused by the RDX but there was no proof that the RDX was stored at the residence of Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit. There is also no proof stating that Lt Col Purohit assembled the bomb.
The seven individuals who were accused for the Malegaon bomb blast of 2008 were – Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, former BJP MP from Bhopal, Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, then serving officer in Military Intelligence, Major (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar. Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni.
The seven accused of the bomb blast faced charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They were also on trial for conspiracy, murder, attempt to murder, promoting enmity, and voluntarily causing hurt.
