A special court in Mumbai will deliver its long-awaited verdict on Thursday in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. It marks the results of 17 years of research, criminal twists, and a extended trial.
Special Judge AK Lahoti, who heard arguments from both the prosecution and defence, announce the judgment in the case in which former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit are among the accused.
Investigation on Malegaon blast case completed
The case pertains to the September 29, 2008, blast at Bhiku Chowk in Malegaon, a place with a Muslim population, which claimed six lives and left more than 100 injured.
The explosion, due to an IED strapped to a two-wheeler, yet to start with investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) before passed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2011.
Apart from Sadhvi Pragya and Purohit, five other accused faced trial – Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi alias Shankaracharya, and Sameer Kulkarni. Sadhvi Pragya arrested in October 2008 and is now out on bail. The vehicle used in the blast was registered in her name.
Verdict announce after 17 years
Special Public Prosecutor Avinash Rasal, performing for the NIA, depended on more than a few pieces of evidence, consisting of call information, intercepted phone calls, and content allegedly recovered from the accused.
Key to the prosecution’s argument was the claim that RDX found at Chaturvedi’s residence in Deolali, wherein the bomb allegedly assembled under the supervision of Lt Colonel Purohit. Rasal submitted that the prosecution gives “relevant, admissible, cogent, sincere, completely reliable and demonstrated evidence” to establish a chain of activities pointing to the involvement of the accused in Malegaon blast case.
Read also: Assagao Village in Goa Now Emerge as premium real estate hotspot, 66.3% annual price Increase