Minutes after a special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all the seven accused in the Malegaon blast case, former BJP-MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh, reiterated that the verdict is testimony to her repeated mentions of having no role in the blast. The blast occurred on the night of September 29 2008, near Bhikku Chowk in the communally tense town, located about 200 km from Mumbai, during the holy month of Ramzan.
Pronouncing the verdict, Judge AK Lahoti said the prosecution failed to prove that the bomb was placed in that particular motorcycle that was being linked to the former BJP MP.
"I said this from the very beginning that those who are called for investigation there should be a basis behind that. I was called by them for investigation and was arrested and tortured. This ruined my whole life," remarked Pragya Singh
The judgement comes nearly 17 years after a bomb exploded in a crowded area in Malegaon in Maharashtra's Nashik district, killing six people and injuring 95.
"Today, Bhagwa has won, and Hindutva has won, and God will punish those who are guilty. However, those who defamed India and Bhagwa have not been proved wrong by you..." said the former BJP-MP during her interaction with reporters outside the NIA court in Mumbai.
The blast took place at a chowk in a Muslim-dominated area of Malegaon on September 29, 2008. It was the month of Ramadan, when the Muslim community observe fasting. It was suspected that those behind the blast had chosen the timing in the Muslim holy month, just before the Hindu Navratri festival, to create communal rifts.
The NIA court while pronouncing its verdict observed that the prosecution had failed to prove case, adding that the accused deserve benefit of doubt. The court said that families of all six victims of the blast will be given Rs 2 lakh each, and all injured victims will be given Rs 50,000 as compensation.
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