Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 2: A special NIA court here has firmly rejected claims made by a former Maharashtra ATS official that he was ordered to arrest RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in connection with the 2008 Malegaon blast case. The court, in a detailed 1,000-page judgment acquitting all seven accused, stated that it found no merit in the allegations.

Special Judge A K Lahoti dismissed the defence arguments relying on the testimony of Mehboob Mujawar, a former ATS officer, who had alleged that top ATS officials instructed him to arrest Bhagwat to project a narrative of "saffron terror". Mujawar had publicly reiterated the same on Thursday, claiming he had defied what he called “illegal orders”.

The court, however, accepted the official version presented by ACP Mohan Kulkarni, the then chief investigating officer, who clarified that Mujawar was never directed to apprehend any RSS member. Instead, his assignment was solely to trace absconding accused Ramji Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange.

The ruling effectively put to rest long-standing speculation around the alleged involvement of RSS leadership in the Malegaon blast case, reaffirming that the claims lacked any substantive backing.