BREAKING | MUMBAI NIA COURT ACQUITS PRAGYA THAKUR, COL PUROHIT, AND 5 OTHERS IN 2008 MALEGAON BLAST CASE:

After nearly 17 years of legal proceedings, a special court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case. The blast, which occurred on September 29, 2008, involved an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle that detonated near a mosque in Malegaon, a town located about 200 kilometers from Mumbai. The explosion claimed the lives of more than six people and injured at least 100 others, deeply impacting the local community and drawing national attention.

Special Judge A.K. Lahoti, delivering the verdict, emphasized that terrorism has no religion and that no religion advocates violence. He noted that court judgments must be based on evidence and law, not on moral assumptions or public sentiment. The verdict comes after the court reserved its judgment on April 19, 2025, marking the end of a trial that formally began in 2018 and has since drawn significant political and media attention.

The trial involved seven individuals: former BJP Member of Parliament Pragya Thakur, Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, Major (retd.) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sameer Kulkarni. The prosecution had alleged that the motorcycle used in the blast belonged to Thakur. However, the court concluded that the prosecution failed to establish this claim, stating there was insufficient evidence to prove her ownership or involvement.

Further, the court found no credible evidence indicating that Thakur or any of the other accused participated in planning or executing the blast. It observed that Thakur had become a Sadhvi at least two years before the incident and that there was no cogent material on record linking her to the crime. Regarding the alleged planting of RDX at the residence of co-accused Lt. Col. Purohit, the court highlighted several procedural lapses, including the absence of a room sketch and contamination of samples. These issues undermined the reliability of the evidence, according to the court.

On the issue of Abhinav Bharat, an organization founded by Thakur and Purohit, the court found no proof that the group’s funds were used to finance terrorist activities. This finding weakened the prosecution’s conspiracy theory, which had relied heavily on the alleged role of the organization.

The Malegaon case was initially investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) under the leadership of the late Hemant Karkare. The ATS filed its chargesheet in January 2009, accusing 12 individuals, including Thakur and Purohit. The charges included those under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA). In 2011, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the case and filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2016. While the ATS alleged that the accused conspired to take revenge and instill fear in the Muslim community through a series of meetings in Bhopal and Indore, the NIA found no solid evidence against Thakur and accused the ATS of coercing witnesses. The agency dropped all charges against her but continued to pursue the case against the other accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act.

The case has remained controversial, especially after former Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian claimed she was asked by the NIA to "go soft" on the accused. The manner in which the NIA filed its supplementary chargesheet—without informing its designated Special Public Prosecutor—also drew criticism.

In its final verdict, the court found that the prosecution failed to substantiate its allegations beyond reasonable doubt, leading to the acquittal of all the accused.