2008 Malegaon bomb blast case verdict: Special NIA court acquits ex-BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and 5 others | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: After almost 17 years, a Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted seven accused, together with former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit within the 2008 Malegaon blast case. All accused had been out on bail.The blast, which ripped by Malegaon city in Nashik district, on September 29, 2008, claimed six lives and left over 100 injured.The court additionally introduced compensation of Rs 2 lakh to every deceased sufferer and Rs 50,000 to injured.

No confirmed possession of motorbike by Pragya ThakurThe court noticed that the chassis variety of the motorbike allegedly used within the blast was discovered to be worn out, and there was no cogent or dependable proof to show that Pragya Singh Thakur owned the car.The court additional noticed that she had turn into a sanyasi (renunciant) two years earlier than the blast and had distanced herself from materials possessions.Blast confirmed, not the car hyperlinkThe particular choose stated that the prosecution efficiently established {that a} blast occurred in Malegaon. However, it didn’t show that the bomb was planted within the motorbike recovered from the scene.Contamination of crime sceneThe court noticed that the blast web site was not correctly barricaded after the incident. As a outcome, the crime scene was contaminated.Injuries partially confirmedThe court famous that whereas accidents to victims had been partially established, the variety of injured individuals was discovered to be 95, not 101 as initially claimed.The court discovered no proof to counsel that Lt Col Prasad Purohit saved RDX at his residence, transported it from Kashmir, or assembled the bomb at his home.The choose additional stated, says terrorism has no faith as no faith can advocate violence.

What occurred in 2008An explosive gadget, allegedly strapped to a motorbike, detonated close to a mosque in the course of the holy month of Ramzan and on the eve of Navratri festivities.Among the opposite accused acquitted are Major Ramesh Upadhyay (Retd), Ajay Rahirkar, Sameer Kulkarni, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi. The ATS had alleged that the motorbike used within the blast belonged to Thakur, whereas Purohit introduced the RDX from Jammu and Kashmir and saved it in his home. Both denied the allegations. They had been acquitted from prices underneath varied stringent sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), together with committing a terrorist act, conspiring to commit a terrorist act, legal conspiracy, homicide, and selling enmity between non secular teams.The investigation, initially led by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) underneath the late Hemant Karkare, rapidly led to the arrest of Thakur and now Purohit in late 2008. The ATS, on the time, alleged, for the primary time, the involvement of “saffron extremists” and linked the accused to a bigger conspiracy, together with different blast circumstances. Investigations into the alleged bigger conspiracy of the Abhinav Bharat group allegedly dropped at mild a collection of essential conferences, portray an image of a bunch purportedly intent on avenging perceived atrocities towards Hindus and establishing a “Central Hindu Government” (Aryawart). The prosecution contended that these gatherings reveal a calculated effort to strike terror by orchestrating a bomb blast in Malegaon, a Muslim-dominated space.The case took a major flip when it was transferred to the NIA in 2011. In 2015, particular public prosecutor Rohini Salian publicly alleged that the NIA had instructed her to “go soft” on the accused, resulting in a change in prosecution. The NIA’s supplementary chargesheet in May 2016, accusing the ATS of planting RDX traces to border Purohit and, notably, giving a clear chit to Thakur and others, citing inadequate proof.Despite the NIA’s stance, the particular court on December 27, 2017, dominated that seven accused, together with Thakur and Purohit, would face trial underneath the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), although prices underneath the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) had been dropped. Finally, on October 30, 2018, terror and homicide prices had been formally framed towards Thakur, Purohit, and 5 others.The trial, commenced on Dec 3, 2018. The proceedings had been additionally characterised by over 323 prosecution witnesses, with 37 turning hostile, and a rejected plea for an in-camera trial. The trial additionally noticed quite a few dramatic moments. In June 2019, Pragya Singh Thakur, by then an elected Member of Parliament from Bhopal, famously precipitated a stir in court, complaining concerning the “dirty and small” chair and the “dusty” courtroom.The recording of ultimate statements from the accused concluded in 2024, adopted by the examination of eight defence witnesses. The lengthy journey to judgment additionally noticed 5 totally different judges preside over the case, with the tenure of the present particular choose, A Ok Lahoti, not too long ago prolonged by the Bombay excessive court until August 31, 2025, to make sure he might ship the decision. Final arguments concluded in April 2025, and after a quick adjournment from May 8, the matter was lastly reserved for the decision.