Sadhvi Pragya, 7 others acquitted in murder of former RSS functionary Sunil Joshi by a local MP court

A local court in Madhya Pradesh acquitted Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and seven others in the killing of former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak Sunil Joshi.

Joshi was a close aide of Sadhvi who was shot dead on December 29, 2007, when he was walking back to his hideout at Chuna Khadan locality in Dewas.

He was then on the run for his alleged role in the murder of a tribal Congress leader. NIA had been investigating the matter since 2011. NIA filed the charge sheet in a Special Court in Bhopal ruling out any larger conspiracy behind the murder.

But in September 2014, trial was shifted to Dewas. A Sessions court in 2015 had framed charges against Sadhvi Pragya and seven others.

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Thakur is also one of the prime accused in Malegaon blast case. Pragya Thakur, who is undergoing treatment in a Bhopal hospital under judicial custody, was not present in the court when the judgment was pronounced.