Former BJP MP Pragya Thakur alleged that she was forced and tortured to take the names of PM Modi, Yogi Adityanath and others in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.
Holding the then UPA government accountable, Pragya Thakur alleged that the Congress was behind the "false case".
On Thursday, a special court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused, including Pragya Singh Thakur and Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit.
Two Days after a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court acquitted Pragya Thakur in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, the former BJP MP made an explosive stunning claim, alleging that she was "forced and tortured to take the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and others".
"I have given everything in writing and named all those whom I was forced to name. I was forced and tortured to take the names of Yogi Adityanath, Mohan Bhagwat, PM Modi and others. They kept saying, ‘Name these people, then we won’t beat you.' Their main aim was to torture me", the former BJP MP said.
Congress Behind The False Case: Pragya Thakur
Holding the then UPA government accountable, Pragya Thakur alleged that the Congress was behind the "false case" as part of a larger "conspiracy" to "defame the saffron (Bhagwa) and the armed forces".
"The Congress filed this false case as part of their conspiracy. It had no basis. Congress is anti-religion. It is a party that feeds terrorists. Congress can never become a nationalist party", Pragya said while alleging that she "wasn’t given proper medical care."
"That is why I am in this condition today. I have become completely weak from within," she added.
Court Acquits All Seven Accused
On Thursday, a special court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused, including Pragya Singh Thakur and Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, in the September 2008 Malegaon blast case in which six persons were killed and 101 others injured as an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in the Malegaon town, located about 200 km from Mumbai.
The accused in the case comprised Pragya Singh Thakur, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni. All seven were charged for committing a terrorist act under provisions of the UAPA and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.
Special Judge A K Lahoti, assigned to hear cases of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), flagged several loopholes in the prosecution's case and the investigation carried out, and said the accused persons deserved the benefit of doubt.
The court, while reading out the judgment, said there was no "reliable and cogent" evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
"Mere suspicion cannot take the place of real proof," the court said, adding that in the absence of any evidence, the accused persons deserve the benefit of doubt.
"The overall evidence does not inspire confidence in the court to convict the accused. There is no reliable and cogent evidence to warrant conviction," the judge said while reading out the judgment.
The court also said provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were not applicable to the case.
