Some of the victims' families will file an independent appeal against the judgment, said their lawyer, who also blamed the NIA for not pursuing perjury action against the witnesses who turned hostile during the trial
Six people died while 101 suffered injuries in the 2008 Malegaon blast. File pic
Calling the 2008 Malegaon blast verdict "unacceptable", the father of the youngest victim of the attack said he will approach higher courts, including the Supreme Court if needed, in pursuit of justice.
“The court’s judgement is wrong. We will go to the Supreme Court to seek justice,” said 67-year-old Liyaqat Shaikh, holding a photograph of his Farheen – then aged 10 – as he addressed the media in Malegaon, a town in north Maharashtra.
Some families of the victims are preparing to file independent appeals against the judgment, said their lawyer, Shahid Nadeem, who also criticised the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for failing to act against witnesses who turned hostile during the trial.
On Thursday, a special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all the seven accused in the case, including former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit.
Recalling the events of that day, Shaikh – who worked as a driver at the time – said Farheen had gone out to buy a vada-pav snack at Bhikku Chowk on the evening of September 29, 2008.
“I heard the sound of a blast. We lived near the blast site, in a tin-roof house. Splinters were found on our roof afterwards. I went looking for my daughter but couldn’t find her. It was dark. Someone mentioned a girl was among the injured. My wife and I rushed to the hospital, where we found her in a terrible state,” he said.
Shaikh said then Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare had arrested the accused with what he believed was “sufficient evidence”.
Apart from Farheen, five others were killed in the 2008 Malegaon blast, while 101 suffered injuries.
Nisar Ahmed, whose son Sayyed Azhar also died in the incident, echoed similar sentiments.
“We did not get justice. We will go to higher courts. Victims of any blast, regardless of religion, deserve justice,” he said.
Usman Khan, the relative of another victim, said his 22-year-old nephew Irfan had gone to Bhikku Chowk to have tea when the explosion occurred.
“He drove an auto rickshaw. First, we took him to a local hospital, then to Nashik. Doctors there advised us to take him to Mumbai. He was shifted to J J Hospital, but he died after ten hours of treatment,” he said.
Khan expressed disappointment with the verdict. “First, some Muslims were arrested and later acquitted. Now even these people have not been convicted. So who was the culprit?” he asked.
Advocate Shahid Nadeem, who represented some of the victims, said the acquittals pointed to "serious lapses" on the part of the NIA.
"...there seems to be a lack of effective strategy. Witnesses turned hostile during the trial, yet the NIA did not pursue perjury charges against any of them, despite repeated requests from the victims," he told PTI.
The victims are still grappling with the trauma of the incident, he said, adding, “They are determined to seek justice and will file an independent appeal in the Bombay High Court after studying the judgement.”
None of the witnesses from Malegaon town or those whose statements had been recorded by the previous investigating agency – the Maharashtra ATS – turned hostile, he claimed.
“As an advocate who attended the trial daily, I believe the NIA could have done better if it had prioritised the concerns of the victims,” said Nadeem.
Of the 323 prosecution witnesses, 37 turned hostile during the trial and did not support the prosecution’s case.
(With PTI inputs)
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