A Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and former Army officer Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit. The court, presided over by Special Judge A K Lahoti, ruled that the prosecution failed to substantiate its case, granting the accused the benefit of doubt and clearing them of charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Arms Act, and other provisions. The verdict, delivered 17 years after the deadly incident, marks the end of a high-profile and contentious legal saga.

The blast, which occurred on September 29, 2008, in Malegaon, Maharashtra, a communally sensitive town, killed six people and injured 95 during the holy month of Ramzan, just before Navratri. The court highlighted several critical flaws in the prosecution’s case: while the blast was confirmed, there was no evidence proving a bomb was attached to a motorcycle; the chassis number of the alleged motorcycle was wiped out, and its link to Pragya Thakur as the owner could not be established; allegations of RDX use by Purohit lacked evidence of storage or assembly at his residence; and medical certificates for the injured were found to be manipulated, with the actual count of injured being 95, not 101 as claimed. Crucially, the court ruled that UAPA could not be invoked due to defective sanction orders, stating, “Terror has no religion, but conviction cannot happen based on the evidence presented.”

The case, initially probed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and later transferred to the NIA in 2011, drew significant attention due to allegations of a conspiracy by the Hindu outfit Abhinav Bharat to target Muslim-majority areas. Other acquitted accused include Major (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sameer Kulkarni.

The court also announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh for each deceased victim’s family and Rs 50,000 for the injured, acknowledging the tragedy’s impact. The verdict has sparked debates over the investigation’s integrity and the challenges of prosecuting terror cases in India.

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