Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 31 : Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske on Thursday welcomed the acquittal of all seven accused in the Malegaon Blast Case, further accusing the Congress of spreading misunderstanding among the people in the name of Hindu terror.
Speaking to ANI, Mhaske said, "The Congress government took action to spread the misunderstanding among the people in the name of Hindu terror."
He emphasised that truth has won after 17 years.
"The truth has won. The case had been going on for the last 17 years. Many army officers claimed that they had made certain statements under pressure from the ATS (Anti-Terrorism Squad). But today, everything is out in the open," he said.
Mumbai Special National Investigative Agency Court (NIA) on Thursday acquitted all seven accused of being involved in the 2008 blasts in Malegaon, with the court saying the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Meanwhile, the lawyer of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, one of the accused acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, welcomed the court's verdict on Thursday, saying that it has been proven that nothing like "saffron terrorism" exists.
Speaking to ANI after the judgment, Advocate JP Mishra said, "After the struggle of 17 years, it has been proven that nothing like saffron terrorism exists. Congress wrongly implicated people in this saffron terrorism case just before the 2009 Lok Sabha elections."
A total of seven people were accused in the Malegaon Blast, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi (Shankaracharya) and Sameer Kulkarni.
The court had examined 323 prosecution witnesses and eight defence witnesses before pronouncing the verdict. The accused have been acquitted of all charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and all other charges.
"Prosecution proved that a blast occurred in Malegaon but failed to prove that a bomb was placed in that motorcycle," Judge Abhay Lohati said.
On September 29, 2008, six people were killed and 95 others injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon City's Bhijju Chowk. Originally, 11 people were charged in the case; however, the court ultimately framed charges against seven.