‘Abhinav Bharat is not a terrorist organization’, court said in the decision of Malegaon blast case

Mumbai: A special court, which acquitted 7 people in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, rejected the prosecution claim that the explosion was carried out by Abhinav Bharat, the right -wing extremist group. Special Judge A.K. Lahoti clearly stated in its over 1,000 pages that Abhinav India has not been banned by the central government as a terrorist organization. The court said in its judgment, “Even Abhinav Bharat Trust, Institution, Organization, Foundation is not banned.” The judge also stated that Maharashtra ATS claimed in his investigation that all the accused were members of Abhinav India and it was an organized criminal gang.

‘Abhinav India has not been banned till date’

The court dismissed the ATS claim, saying, ‘It is necessary to mention that Abhinav Bharat is not a restricted organization. Till date it has not been banned under the illegal activities (prevention) Act. The judgment also said that if the central government feels that an organization is illegal, it can ban it through notification. But the court clarified, “There is no such record till date, which shows that Abhinav Bharat Trust or Abhinav Bharat Sangathan has been declared banned or illegal through any notification by the Central Government.”

‘Nothing was wrong or illegal in trust deed’

The court also stated that when the Abhinav Bharat Trust was formed in 2007, it was registered in the Pune Charity Office. Looking at the objectives written in the trust deed shows that there was nothing wrong or illegal in it. According to trust deed, Abhinav India’s aim was to promote patriotism and religious activities. The court said, ‘The objectives mentioned in it (in trust deeds) are legal. There is no evidence that accused Pragya Singh Thakur, Sameer Kulkarni and Sudhakar Chaturvedi were members of the Abhinav Bharat Trust.

The court rejected claims due to lack of evidence

The prosecution had claimed that Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit formed an institution called Abhinav Bharat to promote the establishment of Hindu nation in 2007, as its members were unhappy with the Indian Constitution. But the court dismissed these claims due to lack of evidence. The court also stated that throughout the case, from the early stage of investigation to the final hearing, the term Abhinav Bharat was used only in general reference or common colloquial. (PTI)

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