MUMBAI: After nearly 17 years, a Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. All accused were out on bail.The blast, which ripped through Malegaon town in Nashik district, on September 29, 2008, claimed six lives and left over 100 injured.The court also announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh to each deceased victim and Rs 50,000 to injured.No proven ownership of motorcycle by Pragya ThakurThe court observed that the chassis number of the motorcycle allegedly used in the blast was found to be wiped out, and there was no cogent or reliable evidence to prove that Pragya Singh Thakur owned the vehicle.The court further observed that she had become a sanyasi (renunciant) two years before the blast and had distanced herself from material possessions.Blast proven, not the vehicle linkThe special judge said that the prosecution successfully established that a blast occurred in Malegaon. However, it failed to prove that the bomb was planted in the motorcycle recovered from the scene.Contamination of crime sceneThe court observed that the blast site was not properly barricaded after the incident. As a result, the crime scene was contaminated.Injuries partially provenThe court noted that while injuries to victims were partially established, the number of injured persons was found to be 95, not 101 as originally claimed.The court found no evidence to suggest that Lt Col Prasad Purohit stored RDX at his residence, transported it from Kashmir, or assembled the bomb at his house.The judge further said, says terrorism has no religion as no religion can advocate violence.
What happened in 2008An explosive device, allegedly strapped to a motorcycle, detonated near a mosque during the holy month of Ramzan and on the eve of Navratri festivities.Among the other accused acquitted are Major Ramesh Upadhyay (Retd), Ajay Rahirkar, Sameer Kulkarni, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi. The ATS had alleged that the motorcycle used in the blast belonged to Thakur, while Purohit brought the RDX from Jammu and Kashmir and stored it in his house. Both denied the allegations. They were acquitted from charges under various stringent sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including committing a terrorist act, conspiring to commit a terrorist act, criminal conspiracy, murder, and promoting enmity between religious groups.The investigation, initially led by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) under the late Hemant Karkare, quickly led to the arrest of Thakur and now Purohit in late 2008. The ATS, at the time, alleged, for the first time, the involvement of “saffron extremists” and linked the accused to a larger conspiracy, including other blast cases. Investigations into the alleged larger conspiracy of the Abhinav Bharat organization allegedly brought to light a series of crucial meetings, painting a picture of a group purportedly intent on avenging perceived atrocities against Hindus and establishing a “Central Hindu Government” (Aryawart). The prosecution contended that these gatherings demonstrate a calculated effort to strike terror by orchestrating a bomb blast in Malegaon, a Muslim-dominated area.The case took a significant turn when it was transferred to the NIA in 2011. In 2015, special public prosecutor Rohini Salian publicly alleged that the NIA had instructed her to “go soft” on the accused, leading to a change in prosecution. The NIA’s supplementary chargesheet in May 2016, accusing the ATS of planting RDX traces to frame Purohit and, notably, giving a clean chit to Thakur and others, citing insufficient evidence.Despite the NIA’s stance, the special court on December 27, 2017, ruled that seven accused, including Thakur and Purohit, would face trial under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), though charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) were dropped. Finally, on October 30, 2018, terror and murder charges were formally framed against Thakur, Purohit, and five others.The trial, commenced on Dec 3, 2018. The proceedings were also characterized by over 323 prosecution witnesses, with 37 turning hostile, and a rejected plea for an in-camera trial. The trial also saw numerous dramatic moments. In June 2019, Pragya Singh Thakur, by then an elected Member of Parliament from Bhopal, famously caused a stir in court, complaining about the “dirty and small” chair and the “dusty” courtroom.The recording of final statements from the accused concluded in 2024, followed by the examination of eight defence witnesses. The long journey to judgment also saw five different judges preside over the case, with the tenure of the current special judge, A K Lahoti, recently extended by the Bombay high court till August 31, 2025, to ensure he could deliver the verdict. Final arguments concluded in April 2025, and after a brief adjournment from May 8, the matter was finally reserved for the verdict.
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