'This Was A False Case': Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani On Malegaon Verdict
A special court in Mumbai has acquitted all seven accused in the Malegaon blasts case. Reacting to the verdict, senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, who had previously represented Sadhvi Pragya, said 'this was a false case." Former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur was acquitted of the charges against her, along with six others, by an NIA court.
Jethmalani further said the issue was 'politicised" and was 'only to further statement by a leading politician that Hindu terrosism was more dangerous than LET Terrorism." 'I feel sorry for the victims who suffered as the case was politically driven."
After 17 years since the bomb blast was carried out in the Muslim-dominated area of Mumbai's Malegaon during the month of Ramadan in 2008. Former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit and Retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay were among the seven accused named by NIA in the case. After a long-shelved legal battle, all 7 accused are acquitted today.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the charge of Malegaon attack from Maharashtra Anti-terrorism squad in 2011.
As per the court's verdict pronounced today, the prosecution failed to present any concrete evidence linking the seven accused to the 2008 Malegaon blasts. The single-judge bench led by AK Lahoti stated that the use of UAPA in this case was also defective.
The court observed no religion teaches violence, the court said. Terrorism has no religion, but the court cannot convict on mere perception. Special judge A K Lahoti, presiding over National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases, while reading out the judgment said there was no 'reliable and cogent evidence" against the accused that proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.
What Happened In 2008?
An explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in the town, located about 200 km from Mumbai, on September 29, 2008 killing six persons and injuring 101 others.
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