Sadhvi Pragya spent nearly a decade in prison over allegations of owning the motorcycle used in Malegaon Blasts, now Court says there is no evidence of that at all

On Thursday, July 31, an NIA Court in Mumbai acquitted all accused in the Malegaon blast case, including Sadhvi Pragya and Lieutenant Colonel Purohit. In the verdict, the court said there is no evidence to establish that the bike, allegedly used in the 2008 Malegaon blast that claimed six lives, belongs to former BJP MP Pragya Thakur.

The judge noted that while the prosecution had proved that the blast happened but it failed to establish that the explosive was fitted on the LML Freedom motorcycle allegedly belonging to Ms Thakur. The court also ruled that prosecution could not prove that the motorcycle belonged to the Sadhvi. The court said what was known from the beginning, that Sadhvi Pragya and others accused in the case were framed by the then Congress government using fabricated evidence.

“The motorbike’s chassis number was wiped out, and the engine number is in doubt. There is no evidence to show Sadhvi Pragya Thakur is the owner and no evidence to show she had the vehicle,” the judge said, acquitting her after what has been one of the longest terror trials in the country.

The court observed that the blast site was not properly barricaded, leading to contamination of the crime scene, which undermined evidence collection.

Notably, the prosecution had alleged that the bomb was fitted on a gold-coloured LML Freedom motorcycle registered under Sadhvi Pragya’s name. A witness had identified the ruins of the vehicle and said he saw it at the blast site on the day of the blast. According to a chargesheet, Sadhvi Pragya had provided the motorbike for the blast to her close associate Ramji Kalsangra.

Interestingly, initial news reports immediately after the blast had said that the bomb was hidden under the seat of a Hero Honda Passion motorcycle. But when the chargesheet was filed, it somehow became an LML Freedom motorcycle allegedly owned by Sadhvi Pragya Thakur.

The recent verdict marks the end of a 17-year-long legal journey involving Pragya Thakur, the daughter of an Ayurvedic healer from Madhya Pradesh, who rose to national attention after being accused of involvement in terror attacks, allegedly as retaliation for earlier incidents like the 2006 Mumbai train bombings.

In her late 30s at the time, Thakur became a controversial figure associated with what came to be known as “Hindu terror,” a term that gained prominence following the 2008 Malegaon blasts. She was accused of recruiting individuals for the attack, while another accused, ex-Army officer Prasad Purohit, was alleged to have supplied the explosives. Both have now been acquitted, along with five others.

Present in court when the verdict was pronounced, Thakur addressed the judge, expressing that from the beginning, she had maintained that any investigation must be based on solid evidence. “I was summoned, arrested, and tortured. It destroyed my life. I was leading a spiritual life when I was wrongly accused. No one stood by us. I survived only because I am a Sanyasi,” she said, adding that there was a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of saffron. “Today, saffron and Hindutva have triumphed, and those truly guilty will face divine justice,” she said.

Speaking to NDTV, Thakur’s sister Upma Singh said they always believed in the legal system and maintained Pragya’s innocence from the start.

The accusation and the Blast

The prosecution had alleged that the explosions on September 29, 2008, were caused using a bomb fitted onto a motorcycle. The Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) discovered that the LML Freedom bike involved had a fake registration number, and the chassis and engine numbers had been tampered with. Forensic analysis managed to restore the engine number, tracing the bike’s registration back to Pragya Thakur, leading to her arrest on October 23, 2008.

Thakur has long claimed she was tortured while in police custody. In 2014, the National Human Rights Commission launched an investigation into her allegations but concluded there was no evidence to support her claims.

In 2019, Thakur stirred controversy by suggesting that former Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who was killed during the 26/11 terror attacks, died because of a “curse” she had placed on him. She claimed Karkare was determined to implicate her despite a lack of evidence. “I told him he would be destroyed, and a month later, he was killed by terrorists,” she had said. Following public outrage, she retracted her statement, acknowledged Karkare’s sacrifice, and referred to him as a martyr.

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