An NIA court on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit. The court cited lack of evidence and procedural lapses by the investigating agencies as key reasons behind the acquittal.
The blast, which took place on September 29, 2008, in Malegaon, Maharashtra, killed six people and injured over a hundred. The trial of the case spanned over 17 years.
The court held that the charges against the accused were not proven beyond a reasonable doubt, stating that the prosecution failed to establish that the motorcycle used in the blast belonged to Pragya Thakur, and that the investigating agencies were unable to substantiate the case with sufficient evidence.While reading the observation, the judge said that the investigating agencies failed to prove the charges against the accused.
Several technical errors were noted during the investigation. It could not be established that the motorcycle alone was used in the blast, nor was there any evidence to show that Prasad Purohit kept RDX at his residence.
The spot panchnama was found to be improper, and while the chassis number on the motorcycle may be similar to that of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur’s bike, this alone did not suffice as conclusive proof.
The prosecution could not establish that any secret meetings had taken place, and the voice test was not conducted as per the prescribed rules.
