Members of the right-wing Patit Pawan Sanghatana erupted in celebration outside Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit’s residence on Law College Road in Pune on Thursday, following the acquittal of all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. The group burst firecrackers, displayed congratulatory banners, and distributed sweets, hailing the verdict as a rejection of the Congress party’s “saffron terror” narrative.

After nearly 17 years, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai acquitted former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Purohit, and five others—Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sameer Kulkarni—citing a lack of “reliable and cogent evidence.” The September 29, 2008, blast near a mosque in Malegaon, 200 km from Mumbai, killed six and injured 95 during Ramadan, initially sparking suspicions of communal motives.

Special Judge AK Lahoti ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the bomb was planted on a motorcycle allegedly linked to Thakur, adding that “terrorism has no religion” and convictions cannot rest on perception. The court also ordered Maharashtra to pay Rs 2 lakh to victims’ families and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

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Swapnil Naik, a Patit Pawan Sanghatana member, declared, “The Congress’s ‘Bhagwa Atankwad’ propaganda has been stopped. The court has shown a Hindu can never be a terrorist.” He promised a grand welcome for Purohit, whose family was in Mumbai during the celebrations, leaving his Pune home empty.

The verdict, however, drew criticism from victims’ families, with advocate Shahid Nadeem announcing plans to appeal in the High Court, arguing the prosecution’s failure was not the victims’ fault. The case, initially probed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and later the NIA, saw 323 witnesses, 37 of whom turned hostile, highlighting investigative challenges.

As Pune’s celebrations contrast with Malegaon’s grief, the acquittal—following a trial that began in 2018—reignites debates over justice, communal narratives, and the integrity of terror investigations in India.

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