'Bhagwa has won, Hindutva has won': Sadhvi Pragya after Malegaon acquittal

Her post came nearly a day after a special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused in the Malegaon blast case, citing a lack of evidence.

Shortly after being acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur took to social media with a message, lashing out at the Congress.

“The Congress, along with all other non-believers, who are the originators of saffron terrorism and Hindu terrorism, have been disgraced… The victory of saffron, Hindutva, and Sanatan has led to the triumph of all Sanatanis and patriots,” she wrote on X, adding, “Jai Hindurashtra, Jai Shri Ram.”

भगवा आतंकवाद और हिन्दू आतंकवाद के जन्मदाता कांग्रेस सहित सभी विधर्मियों का मुंह हुआ काला..
भगवा ,हिंदुत्व और सनातन की विजय पर समस्त सनातनियों और देशभक्तों का हुआ बोलबाला बहुत-बहुत बधाई....
जय हिन्दूराष्ट्र, जय श्री राम...

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— Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur (@sadhvipragyag) August 1, 2025

The post came nearly a day after a special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused in the Malegaon blast case, citing a lack of evidence.

The 2008 explosion near a mosque in Bhikku Chowk had killed six and injured 95, triggering a long and politically charged legal battle that stretched for 17 years.

Delivering the verdict, Special Judge AK Lahoti said the prosecution had failed to establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other laws. Originally, 11 people were accused, but charges were eventually framed against seven.

Among those acquitted was Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit, who described the ordeal as one that nearly broke their lives. “I thank the court for restoring faith in justice. In a nation’s life, individual suffering is secondary. What matters is justice and truth,” he said, asserting that individuals within institutions, not the institutions themselves, had acted with prejudice.

Major (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay echoed similar sentiments, alleging physical, mental, and financial torture. “We volunteered for narco tests, but when those results didn’t fit the prosecution’s narrative, they were ignored,” he said. “My family bore the stigma of being associated with terrorism. That shadow is finally gone.”

Sadhvi Pragya, who was in tears as the verdict was read out, called it a personal and spiritual vindication. “I was living a life of asceticism. I was arrested, tortured, and branded a terrorist. But Bhagwa has prevailed. The truth has finally spoken,” she said in court.

Due to her health condition, the court had permitted her to sit in the witness box rather than the accused dock.

The NIA had taken over the investigation in 2011 from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad. Hundreds of witnesses were examined over the years, but the prosecution’s case reportedly failed to meet the burden of proof. The court has now ordered a high-level probe into allegations of planted explosives in the residence of one of the accused, Sudhakar Chaturvedi.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti became emotional while reacting to the judgment, claiming that what Sadhvi Pragya endured was “beyond what any woman should have to bear.” She also accused political parties of inventing the term “Bhagwa terror” for electoral gains.

Advocate JP Mishra, representing some of the accused, said the case was part of a political conspiracy ahead of the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. “This judgment proves that saffron terror was a manufactured narrative. Even the Union Home Minister recently reiterated that a Hindu cannot be a terrorist,” he told ANI.

However, the legal battle may not be over yet. The lawyer representing families of the blast victims has vowed to appeal the acquittals in the High Court, stating that justice for the victims must still be pursued.