All 7 accused in the Malegaon Bomb Blast case acquitted after 17 years

Congress party’s ‘Saffron Terror’ narrative shattered

It is also necessary to take action against the then Congress leaders and Police officers who harassed devout Hindus only to prove their ‘Saffron Terror’ conspiracy.

Isn’t justice delivered after 17 long years an injustice ?

Mumbai – The Special NIA Court in Mumbai acquitted all 7 accused in the 2008 Malegaon Bomb Blast case. The Court’s verdict exposed the Congress party’s ‘Saffron terror’ conspiracy, which it tried to prove by unjustly implicating Hindutva activists in this case. The investigation agencies presented false evidence to convict Hindutva activists. Along with Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, 6 others – Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Shankaracharya Swami Amritananda Devatirtha, Sameer Kulkarni, Ajay Rahirkar, and Major Ramesh Upadhyay (Retd) – were acquitted. Although there was a delay, all the accused expressed satisfaction that their innocence was eventually proven.

Congress created a fake narrative of ‘Saffron terror’ through the media trial

For the next few years after the Malegaon Blasts, many UPA leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram, Sushilkumar Shinde, Sharad Pawar, deliberately used the term ‘Saffron terror’. Even before the Court gave its verdict, and even when the investigation agencies did not have any solid evidence, the media fabricated a fake narrative against the accused in the Malegaon case.

Court events during the verdict

The hearing began at 11 a.m. at the Special NIA Court in Mumbai. All 7 accused were present, the Court and outer gallery were filled with lawyers, journalists and Police. Sadhvi Pragya Singh and 6 other accused were sitting separately. Judge AK Lahoti read the verdict for 30 minutes. There was a deep silence in the Court due to curiosity about the verdict. After the accused were declared innocent, an atmosphere of exhilaration spread in the Court. The accused’s lawyer Jayaprakash Mishra, as well as Sadhvi Pragya Singh, Lieutenant Colonel Purohit, Major Ramesh Upadhyay (Retd), Sameer Kulkarni then expressed their feelings before Judge Lahoti.

Congress should apologise : CM Devendra Fadnavis

Congress, which framed Hindutva activists, should apologize. Congress’ attempt to prove Saffron terror has failed. The narrative of Saffron terror failed. The then Government put pressure on the Police. The Congress Government’s plan was to show Saffron terror in response to Islamic terror. Hindu terror was a political conspiracy hatched for the sake of vote bank.

Hindutva has won ! God will punish those who created the Saffron terror conspiracy ! : Sadhvi Pragya Singh

From the beginning itself, I have been saying that I am innocent; yet I was tortured in jail. My life was ruined. The Court acquitted us; but for the last 17 years we have been treated as terrorists. As a Sadhvi, I dedicated my life to the Nation; but in my own Nation, I was humiliated and declared a terrorist. The investigating agencies misused the law. I am an Ascetic, that is why I am still alive. Despite facing great suffering countless times, I am alive today. I did not fight this case, but God fought it. We are satisfied with the verdict. It has put an end to the conspiracy of Saffron terror. Today, Saffron Hindutva has won. God will punish those who created the conspiracy of Saffron terror.

Until those who conspired against us are punished, there won’t be justice : Shankaracharya Amritananda Devatirtha

The entire investigation of the 2008 Malegaon Bomb Blast case was a conspiracy of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The entire case was a lie. A bomb was planted in my house in Nashik, the Court said in its verdict. This verdict, which came after 17 years, is not justice. Until those who conspired against us are punished, it cannot be called justice. Until those who harassed us are caught, our fight will continue.

He further said, “We were labelled terrorists and our reputations were ruined. A Hindu cannot be a terrorist; he can be a revolutionary. Who will return the lost 17 years of our life ? Who will compensate for it ? From the Court’s verdict, it is now clear that there is nothing called Hindu terror. Calling Hindus ‘Saffron terrorists’ was a conspiracy of the Congress. Saffron has won.

We faced a lot of trouble in this case; may the common man not suffer like us : Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit

We faced a lot of trouble in this case. Such trouble should not befall the common man. I do not want to blame anyone. First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my organisation, the Indian Army. Indian Army firmly supports its officers and soldiers in every difficult situation. I would like to readily state that there is no organisation stronger, more reliable and honorable than the Indian Army. I would like to express my special gratitude to my late lawyer Shrikant Shinde, who stood by me in this long fight, and also Adv. Nandu Phadke, who consistently and ably represented my side. The real fighters of this case were the young lawyer Viral Babar, his senior mentor Adv. Amit Dhar and Adv. Yasir Khan. All of them represented me with great discipline, logic and loyalty. They were the real architects of this legal fight. I am very grateful to all of them.

Will push for action against guilty ATS officers : Advocate Sanjeev Punalekar

The Court has strongly criticized the investigation conducted by the Anti-Terrorism Squad in its verdict. Justice has finally been served after 17 long years. The accused have lost 17 valuable years of their lives due to this flawed process. Even before their formal arrest, the ATS transported them across States in a private aircraft belonging to ‘India Bulls’, and conducted brain mapping (A lie-detector test). No records of this exist with the NIA. We had demanded an inquiry into this through a petition filed back in 2013. Now that these issues have been acknowledged in the verdict, we will pursue this petition further. We are determined to seek action against the guilty ATS officers and expose the hidden political forces behind this entire episode.

Important points in the Verdict

1. A conspiracy was hatched to frame Sudhakar Chaturvedi by placing RDX in his house.

2. No evidence could be presented by the investigation agencies that Lieutenant Colonel Purohit brought RDX from Kashmir.

3. No evidence was presented by the investigation agencies that the 2-wheeler used at the site of the bomb blast belongs to Sadhvi Pragya Singh. Only the vehicle number is not sufficient, and the chassis number of the two-wheeler has not been identified.

4. There is no evidence that any reconnaissance was conducted to carry out the bomb blast or that the accused held meetings.

5. The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) imposed on all the accused is wrong.

6. There is no evidence that Lieutenant Colonel Purohit used the funds of the Abhinav Bharat organisation for the blast.

7. The investigation mechanism did not conduct the Panchanama properly. The accused cannot be punished on the basis of mere suspicion.