‘Endured Humiliation’: Sadhvi Pragya Breaks Down In Court During Malegaon Blast Verdict
Sadhvi Pragya Singh stated that the day signifies a victory for the saffron flag and a triumph for Hindutva.
Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur became emotional in court while addressing Judge Lahoti, sharing the emotional strain of her prolonged legal battle.
“I have gone through years of humiliation,” she said, fighting back tears. “I had to struggle constantly. Even though I was innocent, I was labelled with the tag of guilt.”
She further said, “Today is a day of victory for the saffron flag, a victory for Hindutva. The false narrative of ‘saffron terrorism’ has now been proven wrong.”
On Thursday, Mumbai’s NIA special court acquitted all seven individuals accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. The court stated that the prosecution had not been able to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The NIA court also directed the Maharashtra government to provide Rs 2 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those who were injured.
The Malegaon blast case dates back to September 29, 2008, when six people lost their lives and 95 others were injured following the explosion of a device attached to a motorcycle near a mosque in Bhikku Chowk of Malegaon city.
Initially, 11 people were accused in the case. Eventually, the court framed charges against seven individuals, including former Member of Parliament Sadhvi Pragya.
The final list of seven accused included Sadhvi Pragya, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi (also known as Shankaracharya), and Sameer Kulkarni.
“While the prosecution proved that a blast took place in Malegaon, they failed to prove that the bomb was planted on that particular motorcycle,” Judge Abhay Lohati said.
The court also observed irregularities regarding medical documents.
“The court concludes that the number of injured individuals was not 101, but 95, and there was some manipulation in the medical certificates,” the court noted.
