'Saffron won today': How Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, acquitted in Malegaon blast, went from 'sanyasi to being branded terrorist'

The 2008 Malegaon blast case, in which all seven accused were acquitted on Thursday (July 31), was one of the longest terror trials in India. Among the accused was Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a woman ascetic who, a decade after the case, went on to become a parliamentarian from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The blast drew extra attention because a woman was among the accused in a so-called cases of 'saffron terror', a reference to Hindutva organisations allegedly involved in violence.

The 2008 blast during Ramzan and ahead of Navratri in the Malegaon town of the western Maharashtra state killed six people and injured nearly 100. It became an instance of alleged Hindu terror.

After the National Investigation Agency (NIA) declared the verdict on Thursday, the 55-year-old Thakur said 'saffron has won today', implying that the Hindutva ideology of which she is an adherent was on trial, not just her.

'Was branded as terrorist for being a sanyasi': Pragya Thakur breaks down in court

At the NIA court in Mumbai, Pragya said she was "branded a terrorist for being a sanyasi" or ascetic. She painted her court ordeal of nearly two decades as a spiritual struggle. "It was Bhagwan [God] who fought this case for me.”
“I haven’t won, Saffron has. Whoever called Bhagwa [saffron] a terrorist, God will never forgive them,” she added.

Why was Pragya an accused in Malegaon blast? What the court said in verdict

The reason why Pragya Thakur got caught up in the case was an allegation that the bike in which the bomb was planted belonged to her. But in its verdict, the NIA court said there was no evidence to show Pragya was the owner of the LML Freedom bike allegedly used in the attack.

The judge noted that although the blast was proven to have taken place, the prosecution failed to link the explosives to the bike supposedly owned by Thakur: "The motorbike's chassis number was wiped out and engine number is in doubt," it said.

It cited key gaps in evidence, including inconsistencies in chargesheets, lack of link between the bomb and the recovered motorcycle, mishandled evidence, and no proof the bike was registered in Pragya’s name.

The court said the acquittal was due to lack of credible evidence, not proof of innocence.

Pragya Thakur's 17-year court trial over Malegaon blast: ‘The face of Hindu terror’

Thursday's ruling is a possible end to the 17-year-long trial for Thakur. Once labelled the face of 'Hindu terror,' she was accused of arranging manpower for the attack, while Lt Col Prasad Purohit was accused of supplying the explosives. The duo, along with five others, were acquitted on Thursday.

'Ruined my whole life': Pragya was arrested, allegedly tortured

After the verdict, Pragya told the judge: "I said this from the very beginning that if people are called for investigation, there should be a basis behind that. I was called, arrested and tortured. This ruined my whole life.
"I was living a sage's life, but I was made an accused, and no one was willing to stand beside us," she said, adding she is alive because she is an ascetic.

The love for bike-riding that became the bane for Pragya Thakur

Pragya was known to ride bikes in her younger years. And it was a bike at the centre of the blast case that led to her arrest on 23 October 2008. The bike used in the blast was found with tampered chassis and engine numbers. The forensic investigators allegedly restored the engine number and linked it to Thakur, leading to her arrest.

Thakur has claimed that she was tortured in custody. Her claims were probed in 2014 by the National Human Rights Commission, which found no supporting evidence.

Pragya Thakur remained controversial in spite of being Malegaon blast accused

Born on 2 February 1970, Pragya has been a firebrand leader of the BJP and controversial for her statements. She continued her activism even as she was fighting the court case against her.

She is known for making caustic remarks. In 2019, she made headlines for claiming that Hemant Karkare, the Mumbai Anti-Terror Squad chief who died in the 26/11 terror attacks of 2008, was killed due to her curse. "I said, 'tera sarvanash hoga' [ your ruin will come]. Just after a month, terrorists killed him."

But she retracted the comment amid criticism, and called Karkare a ‘martyr’.

Pragya Thakur won the election despite Malegaon blast case

Despite the controversies associated with the Malegaon blast case, she contested general elections and was elected to Parliament in 2019, defeating veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.

She continued to make public outbursts, including a praise of Nathuram Godse - the assassin of India's founding father Mahatma Gandhi - as a "patriot,". This prompted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond, saying he would 'never forgive those who insult' Gandhi.