2008 Malegaon blast case: Court acquits all 7 accused, including Pragya Thakur
New Delhi: A Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai today acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, bringing an end to a legal saga that lasted 17 years.
The court pronounced its verdict this morning, more than three months after reserving judgment on April 19. The case, which spanned over a decade and involved more than one lakh pages of evidence, had seen prolonged delays in trial proceedings.
The Malegaon blast occurred on September 29, 2008, in the communally sensitive town of Malegaon in Maharashtra, during the holy month of Ramzan and just before Navratri. The explosion claimed six lives and left over 100 injured.
Initially probed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), the investigation was transferred to the NIA in 2011. The agency later submitted a supplementary charge sheet in 2016, dropping charges against several accused including Pragya Thakur, citing insufficient evidence, a move that sparked political and legal controversy.
During the trial, the prosecution examined 323 witnesses, 34 of whom turned hostile. All the accused were charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), but had been out on bail for several years.
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Karnataka School Edu Dept prohibits children from being made to dance to obscene songs
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka School Education Department has issued a circular strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs in educational and cultural programmes.
It stated that such dances would negatively impact students' mental health and moral values. It will create indiscipline and harm the sanctity of education.
"All the Deputy Directors (Administration) of the state's School Education Department have been asked to take strict measures to prevent children or students from dancing to obscene songs in all government, aided and unaided schools in the state," the office of the commissioner of the School Education Department said in a recent circular.
"If it is found that children are being made to dance to obscene songs, appropriate action will be taken against the headmaster or management of such school," it added.
The department also listed certain measures in this regard, which include: strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes; selecting songs that are inspiring, positive, instilling national pride in children and reflecting the greatness, dignity, values, culture, and morality of the state.
Stating that the school headmaster and management are responsible for selecting songs and dances for cultural programmes, it said, they should also ensure that students wear decent clothes in dance or cultural programmes.
