(MENAFN- Live Mint) After being acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon blast case by an NIA court, Lt Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit expressed deep gratitude to the judiciary and the Armed Forces. Thanking the court for“delivering justice”, Lt Col Purohit said he was“extremely grateful” to the nation and those who stood by him during the 17-year long legal battle.

Speaking with the media after his acquittal in the Malegaon blast case , Lt Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit said,“I am extremely grateful to the country and those who stood by us. I am grateful to the judiciary for understanding the case and delivering justice to all of us .”

“During the fight, the Armed forces stood by me. I have no words to express my gratitude to all of them,” he said.

Lt Col Purohit, who was reinstated in the Army pending trial, said he was implicated in the case and asserted he will continue to serve the nation as before and with the same vigor. He asserted that he would continue serving the organisation and the nation. Also Read | Here's how things unfolded from 2008 as ex-BJP MP Pragya Thakur and six others acquitted

“No investigating agency is wrong; it is the people serving in these agencies who are wrong. This nation is great. We must take care that wrong people do not rise and make people like us suffer,” Purohit said.

MALEGAON BLAST CASE

An explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in the Malegaon town of Maharashtra, located about 200 km from Mumbai, on September 29, 2008 killing six persons and injuring 101 others. Also Read | Ujjwal Nikam slams use of 'saffron terror' in Malegaon blast case

Besides Pragya Thakur and Lt Col Purohit, Major Ramesh Upadhyay (retired), Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni were also accused in the case. All have been acquited by a special court in Mumbai.

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