Saffron Wins, Says Emotional Pragya Thakur After Acquittal in 2008 Malegaon Blast Case

Mumbai: In a dramatic turn of events, the special NIA court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, citing lack of conclusive evidence. Among those acquitted was former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, who broke down in court, reflecting on her long legal and personal ordeal.

Visibly emotional, Pragya Thakur addressed Special Judge A.K. Lahoti, stating, “I came to the police, and I was tortured to the extent that it spoiled my life. For 17 years, I lived the life of a sanyasi. People looked at me as a terrorist. I couldn’t live in dignity. Just because I was a sanyasi, I survived. Bhagwan was fighting this case for me.”

Choking back tears, she added, “At least this court has listened to me. I have not won this case — saffron has won. Those who called ‘bhagwa’ terrorists, Bhagwan will never forgive them.”

The court, in its verdict, stated that while it was proved that a bomb blast did occur on September 29, 2008, near Bhikku Chowk in Malegaon, the prosecution failed to establish a direct link between the accused and the motorcycle allegedly used to plant the bomb. “Prosecution proved that a blast occurred in Malegaon but failed to prove that the bomb was placed in that motorcycle,” the judge noted.

Judge Lahoti also raised questions about inconsistencies in the medical records, observing that the number of injured individuals had been inflated. “The actual number of injured is 95, not 101. There was manipulation in some medical certificates,” the court remarked.

The powerful explosion in Malegaon had claimed the lives of six people and left several others injured. Initially, 11 individuals were charged, but the trial eventually proceeded against seven accused: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Major (Retd.) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi, and Sameer Kulkarni.

In a significant gesture towards the victims, the court also directed the Maharashtra government to compensate the families of the deceased with ₹2 lakh each and provide ₹50,000 to each of the injured.

The verdict, after 17 years of legal proceedings, brings an end to one of the most high-profile terror cases in India involving allegations against individuals linked to Hindu nationalist groups. While the prosecution’s failure to establish a watertight case has drawn criticism, the acquittal has also reignited the political and ideological debate around the term “saffron terror.”