A special court in India has reserved its verdict in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, which killed six people and injured over 100. The trial began nearly 17 years after the bombing in the town of Malegaon, located in Maharashtra. The prosecution concluded its final arguments on Saturday, marking the end of the hearings. Seven individuals, including Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit and BJP leader Pragya Thakur, are facing charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The verdict is expected to be delivered on May 8th.
Family members of victims of the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast have challenged the acquittal of the accused, including Pragya Singh Thakur and Prasad Purohit, in the Bombay High Court, citing faulty investigation and the nature of conspiracy.
For Malegaon's Muslims, Rahul Gandhi's remarks were simply one more indication that the party they once supported no longer cares for them, notes Jyoti Punwani.
The 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, spanning nearly 17 years, was marked by changes in investigating agencies and five different judges, contributing to significant delays, according to victims and accused.
The court has asked Sadhvi Pragya Thakur to pay a surety of Rs 5 lakh and surrender her passport to the National Investigation Agency.
Local people prevented the police from reaching the site immediately after the blast and it could have been done to shield the accused, said Thakur's lawyer, advocate JP Mishra.
A Special NIA court in Mumbai has reserved the judgment in the 2008 Malegaon blast case for July 31. The court said the case has voluminous documents and needs time to deliver the verdict. The blast, which occurred in September 2008, killed six people and injured over 100. Seven accused, including Lt Col Prasad Purohit and BJP leader Pragya Thakur, are facing trial in the case.
Thakur, seated in the witness box, got visibly emotional at one point and the proceedings were halted for ten minutes.
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Rahul Gandhi said he stood by his remarks on Twitter terming Pragya Thakur a "terrorist" and was ready to face any action.
The ATS official was cross-examined by Thakur's lawyer during the day's proceedings.
Gandhi's comments came at a time when the BJP is trying to distance itself from its erring MP.
Here's the list of the seven accused who faced trial in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.
"Party disciplinary committee will submit the report within 10 days," Shah said.
Sticking to his claim that Rajnath Singh had met Pragya Thakur, Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Saturday posted on Twitter a photo purportedly showing the Malegaon blast case accused seated beside the Union home minister and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
"Storm of lies becomes so big at times that even day appears to be night but the Sun does not lose its light. People should not be swayed by this storm. Truth is that I did not tolerate insult to Udham Singh yesterday," the Bhopal MP tweeted.
The Bombay High Court has issued notices to those acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, following an appeal by victims' families, raising questions about the investigation and seeking convictions.
Ramesh said he would file a case against Thakur in the apex court as the police in Karnataka would not act against the BJP MP.
Special NIA court judge AK Lahoti, conducting trial in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has been transferred to Nashik just days before the court was likely to reserve the matter for judgement. The transfer order, issued by the registrar general of the Bombay High Court, will come into effect on June 9. The order directs the judge to finish judgments in all cases where hearing has concluded and to dispose of part-heard cases before handing over charge. In the last hearing on Saturday, judge Lahoti directed the prosecution and defense to wrap up the remaining arguments by April 15 and was expected to reserve the matter for judgement the following day, a defense lawyer said.
A special court acquitting seven persons in the 2008 Malegaon blast case questioned why the investigating agency did not explore the potential involvement of the banned outfit Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
On September 29, 2008, a bomb explosion at 9:35pm opposite Shakil Goods Transport Company situated between Anjuman Chowk and Bhiku Chowk in Malegaon killed six persons and injured 101.
A police official said they were verifying the details but no First Information Report has been registered yet.
For the first time a serving army officer was accused of terrorism.
The BJP has accused the Congress party of fabricating the theory of 'Hindu terror' to undermine Narendra Modi and appease Muslim voters. This statement follows the acquittal of seven individuals in the Malegaon blast case. The BJP demands compensation for the acquitted and an apology from the prosecution.
"You (appellants) have to indicate whether they were witnesses or not. Give us details. This is not an open gate for everyone," the HC said and posted the matter for further hearing on Wednesday.
"Hemant Karkare falsely implicated me. He died of his karma. I told him, he will be destroyed. I told him his entire dynasty will be erased," Pragya said.
A witness in the 2008 Malegaon blast case claimed he was tortured and forced by the Maharashtra ATS to name Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The special court acquitted all seven accused, citing unreliable evidence and involuntary statements.
'The country needs to honour the sacrifice of Karkare and not allow deviant individuals to denigrate him and his memory'
The prosecution has proved the entire chain that connected the accused with each other for achieving the goal of executing the bomb blast and perform terrorist acts, the written statement, filed by the intervenor for the victims, said.
Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast case and the murder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak Sunil Joshi on Tuesday claimed that she was innocent and had been framed by 'non-believers'.
A special court, in its acquittal order in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has highlighted a running battle between the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), pointing out stark contradictions in their probe.
Nearly 17 years after a blast in Malegaon town of north Maharashtra claimed six lives, a special court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all the seven accused, including former Bharatiya Janata Party MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, noting there was 'no reliable and cogent evidence' against them.
A special court acquitting seven persons in the 2008 Malegaon blast case has raised serious concerns over allegations of torture and illegal detention by Maharashtra ATS officers. The court noted that witnesses claimed their statements were taken under coercion.
The govt will seek a legal opinion on reopening the murder case of ex-RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi.
A former police official who was part of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) that probed the 2008 Malegaon blast case claimed on Thursday that he had been asked to apprehend RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
An organisation that helped the families of victims in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has expressed displeasure over the acquittal of seven accused and sought to know if they were not involved in the incident, then who were responsible for it.
Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who was arrested by the Mumbai police's Anti Terrorist Squad in connection with the bomb blast in Malegaon on September 29, has claimed that she is innocent."I am being framed. This is an attempt to malign me," she told her lawyer Ganesh Sovani at a Nashik court on Monday.
The court passed the order after the Member of Parliament from Bhopal, a prime accused in the case, sought another exemption from appearance citing health problems.
Alleging that the ATS machinery was being used at the behest of the Congress, which is practicing politics of Muslim appeasement, it said, 'the arrests of cultured and educated individuals in connection with the Malegaon blasts is an effort to crush Hindus to please Muslim fanatics in the country.'
The joint statement was issued by retired DGPs Julio Ribeiro, Prakash Singh, P K Hormis Tharakan, Kamal Kumar, Jacob Punnoose, Sanjeev Dayal, Jayanto Choudhury and N Ramachandran.
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