>Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit, one of the accused acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon blast case on Thursday, hailed the verdict, saying that he is extremely grateful to the country and those who stood by him.
Speaking to mediapersons, Lt Colonel Purohit said, "I am extremely grateful to the country and those who stood by us. I am grateful to the judiciary for understanding the case and delivering justice to all of us. During the fight, the Armed forces stood by me. I have no words to express my gratitude to all of them."
Soon after the verdict, celebrations broke out outside Lt Colonel Purohit's residence, where supporters burst firecrackers and distributed sweets to mark the court's decision.
The Mumbai Special National Investigative Agency Court (NIA) acquitted all seven accused of being involved in the 2008 blasts in Malegaon, with the court saying the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Seven accused, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi (Shankaracharya) and Sameer Kulkarni, are charged under the UAPA, Arms Act and others.
The 2008 Malegaon blast case was transferred to the NIA in 2011 from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad.
After a 17-year-long wait and examination of hundreds of witnesses, the NIA special court on Thursday acquitted all seven people accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and all other charges.
On September 29 2008, six people were killed and 95 others injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon City's Bhikku Chowk. Originally, 11 people were accused in the case; however, the court ultimately framed charges against 7, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya.
The lawyer representing the victims' families said that he will be challenging the acquittal of the seven people in the High Court.