Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit After Acquittal In The 2008 Malegaon Blast Case: ‘I Am A Soldier Who Loves This Country Immensely….’,

A special National Investigation Agency court acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon Bomb Blast Case . Former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur , Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni are the people who have been acquitted. After getting acquitted, Lt Col Purohit said outside the courtroom, “I am a soldier who loves this country immensely.” He added that the country must always remain supreme and its foundations strong.

What did the court said while acquitting the accused in 2008 Malegaon Blast Case?

Quoting the court’s verdict, ANI reported that the terrorism has no religion because no religion can advocate violence. The court stated that it cannot convict anyone merely on perception and moral evidence; there has to be cogent evidence. The court further stated that there is no proof of bomb being planted on bike and no evidence of storing or assembling the explosives in Shrikant Prasad Purohit’s residence. According to the court, motorbike’s chassis number was wiped out and engine number is in doubt. It was also stated by the court that there is no evidence to show Sadhvi (Pragya Thakur) is the owner. Also, according to the court, no evidence to show she was in possession of the vehicle. 

What was the 2008 Malegaon blast case?

On September 30, 2008, six people died and nearly 100 were injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon, a town in north Maharashtra. An FIR was lodged at Azad Nagar Police station in Malegaon. Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad takes over the probe into the case on October 21, 2008. 

What did the court said on the compensation for 2008 Malegaon Blast Case victims?

According to the court, the families of all six victims of the blast will be given Rs 2 lakh each. A compensation of Rs 50,000 will be given to the injured victims.

Also read: 2008 Malegaon blast case: NIA Court acquits Pragya Thakur, Lt Col Purohit and other accused