Indian court acquits ex-MP, six others accused of deadly bombing

AFP | Mumbai

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An Indian court yesterday acquitted a Hindunun and former lawmaker, and six others accused of participating in a deadly bombing near a mosque in 2008.

The attack killed six people and wounded more than 100 others when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded close to the mosque in Malegaon in the western state of Maharashtra.

Seven people were tried on terrorism and criminal conspiracy charges, including former MP from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, in a case that dragged on for years.

The prosecution claimed Thakur’s motorbike was used to carry the explosives used in the attack, and that she took part in a key planning meeting before it was staged.

However, Judge AK Lahoti ruled Thursday that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence against Thakur and the six others.

“Judgements cannot be based on morals and public perception,” Lahoti said, according to Indian legal website Live Law.

Defence lawyer Ranjit Nair said the judge noted that the prosecution could not “present any proof against the accused”.

During the trial, India’s counter-terrorism unit said the 2008 bombing was orchestrated to incite communal tensions, local media reported.

Thakur, 55, spent nine years in jail before she was given bail in 2017.