In the 2008 Malegaon blast case, the NIA court acquitted all seven accused, including Sadhvi Pragya. The court stated there was a lack of evidence. Pragya Thakur said, "It is a victory for saffron; God will punish the culprits."
Malegaon Case: Following the NIA court's decision in the Malegaon blast case, Sadhvi Pragya Thakur has given her first reaction. She stated that it is a victory for saffron, and those who defamed it will be punished by God. Pragya Thakur stated unequivocally that no one can compensate for what she has suffered in the last 17 years.
'I was living a saintly life, yet accusations were made'
Pragya Thakur said that she was living a life of a renunciate, yet false accusations were made against her. "I was summoned in the name of investigation, arrested, and tortured. There was no concrete evidence against me, yet I was defamed."
She claims she was targeted because she wears saffron and is associated with Hindutva ideology. She said the entire country remained silent when she was jailed on false charges.
Attack on Saffron, Conspiracy on Hindutva
Sadhvi Pragya says that the Malegaon case was a conspiracy aimed solely at defaming saffron and Hindutva. The term "saffron terror" was coined, and saints were put in the dock. Now that the court has acquitted all the accused, she says that truth has prevailed.
Court's Decision
The special NIA court acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. The court stated that the prosecution failed to prove the charges, and the case was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The seven people who were acquitted include Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Major (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi (Shankaracharya), and Sameer Kulkarni. The court also cancelled their bail bonds and released the bail bondsmen.
323 Witnesses, Yet No Outcome
The court recorded the statements of 323 witnesses for the prosecution and 8 witnesses for the defense in this case. But despite so many witnesses and years of investigation, the court found no concrete evidence to prove the charges against the accused. The court said that it could not be proven that the motorcycle in which the explosives were placed was directly related to these accused.
