2008 Malegaon Blast Verdict: Bhagwa Was On Trial, Not Me Says Sadhvi Pragya, Makes Acquittal A Religious Redemption

Mumbai: In what is being projected as more than just a legal victory, the Malegaon blast verdict on July 31, 2025, has been turned into a communal symbol of triumph for Hindutva forces, with former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur declaring in court,"Saffron has won today.”

The court may have acquitted all accused due to lack of evidence, but Pragya's courtroom monologue turned the spotlight to religion, martyrdom and political redemption.

"I was branded a terrorist for being a sanyasi," breaking down in court, Pragya Singh Thakur recalled the years she spent under trial.

“I was just 17 and living a sanyasi’s life. Yet they tortured me to the extent of destroying it. People used to look at me as a terrorist. I can’t live in grace anymore… But it’s only because I was a Sanyasi that I survived. It was Bhagwan who fought this case for me,” she stated.

Her remarks were laden with religious overtones, portraying the trial as a spiritual battle and her acquittal as divine justice.

While the NIA court focused on procedural lapses and lack of evidence, Pragya used the moment to politicise and communalise the acquittal, targeting those who had used the term 'saffron terror' during the trial years.

“At least this court heard me. I haven’t won, Saffron has. Whoever called Bhagwa a terrorist, God will never forgive them,” she said.

Her statements are being viewed by many as an attempt to reclaim and repurpose the term 'Bhagwa', once linked to terror in this case, as a badge of victimhood and victory.

What the Court Said: Gaps in Evidence, Not Proof of Innocence

The special NIA court, after 17 years of investigation and a trial that saw over 300 witnesses, finally acquitted all seven accused, including Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and Major Ramesh Upadhyay, due to lack of evidence.

Key findings by the court included:

Inconsistencies between ATS and NIA chargesheets

No evidence that the bomb was planted on the recovered motorcycle

Mishandling of evidence and improper Panchnama

Chassis number of the bike not recovered

No proof that the bike was registered in Pragya’s name

Despite the acquittal, the court did not establish the innocence of the accused, only that the evidence was insufficient and tampered with.

Blast That Shook a Town and a Nation

The Malegaon blast on September 29, 2008, occurred during Ramzan and just ahead of Navratri, killing 6 and injuring over 100. The case quickly became the face of what was then controversially termed 'saffron terror', dividing political and public opinion.

What started with an ATS probe eventually shifted to the NIA in 2011. Out of 323 witnesses examined, 34 turned hostile, further weakening the prosecution’s case.

From Courtroom to Campaign: What Next?

With Pragya Singh Thakur already having served as a BJP MP and remaining a vocal face of the right wing, her statements are likely to be echoed in future political campaigns, not just as a personal victory, but a vindication of the saffron ideology itself.

Whether this marks the end of legal scrutiny or the beginning of a renewed political narrative cloaked in religious symbolism, only time will tell. But one thing is certain: in Pragya’s words, “Saffron won today.”