Malegaon Blast Case / 'Today saffron and Hindutva have won', said Sadhvi Pragya after being acquitted

Malegaon Blast Case: After 17 years, the NIA court has given an important verdict in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case. The court acquitted all seven accused including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit due to lack of evidence. After this decision, Sadhvi Pragya and Colonel Purohit shared their reactions, in which they described the case as a conspiracy and an attempt to defame saffron.

Court's decision

In the Malegaon blast case, the NIA court clearly said that the prosecution failed to produce sufficient evidence. The court acquitted Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit, Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni of all charges. The court also ordered that an investigation be started into the case of placing explosives in the house of ADG ATS Sudhakar Chaturvedi.

Sadhvi Pragya's statement

Addressing the judge in the NIA court, Sadhvi Pragya got emotional and said:

I have said from the beginning that those who are called for investigation should have some basis behind it. They called me for investigation, arrested me and tortured me. This ruined my whole life. I was living the life of a sadhu, but I was made an accused and no one willingly stood with us. I am alive because I am a sanyasi. They defamed saffron under a conspiracy. Today saffron has won, Hindutva has won and God will punish those who are guilty. However, you have not proved wrong those who have defamed India and saffron.

Sadhvi Pragya saw this decision as a victory of saffron and Hindutva, while also questioning the investigating agencies that she was implicated in this case without any solid basis.

Lt Col Purohit's reaction

Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit welcomed the court's decision and said:

I thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve my country and my organisation with the same conviction as I was doing before I was implicated in this case. I do not blame any organisation for this. Organisations like investigative agencies are not wrong, but it is the people inside the organisation who are wrong. I thank you for restoring the common man's faith in the system.

Col Purohit questioned some individuals in the investigative agencies, but expressed confidence in the credibility of the organisations. He saw this decision not only as his personal victory, but also as a restoration of faith in the system.

Background of Malegaon Blast Case

On 29 September 2008, a bomb blast took place in Malegaon, Maharashtra, killing 8 people and injuring more than 80. Seven people, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Purohit, were made accused in this case. The investigation was initially done by Maharashtra ATS, which was later taken over by NIA. After a long hearing and investigation in this case, the court acquitted all the accused.