Mumbai, July 31: In a landmark judgment, the Special NIA Court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, citing the prosecution’s failure to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The verdict comes nearly 16 years after the tragic explosion near Bhikku Chowk in Malegaon, which killed six people and injured 95 others.
Among the acquitted was BJP MP and former Sadhvi, Pragya Singh Thakur, who became emotional in court as she addressed Special Judge A. K. Lahoti. Fighting back tears, she said:
“I have endured years of humiliation. Despite being innocent, I was branded guilty. I had to struggle repeatedly just to survive this ordeal.”
In a strongly worded statement, Thakur also invoked her ideological beliefs:
“Today marks the victory of the saffron flag, the triumph of Hindutva. The false narrative of ‘saffron terrorism’ stands shattered.”
Reflecting on the impact of the 16-year-long legal proceedings, she added:
“I was leading the life of a renunciate. They arrested and tortured me, ruining my life. No one stood by us then. They defamed the ‘Bhagwa’ (saffron) through conspiracy. Today, ‘Bhagwa’ has prevailed. God will deliver justice to those truly guilty.”
Background of the Case
The Malegaon blast occurred on September 29, 2008, when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque during Ramadan prayers. Initially, 11 individuals were accused, but charges were formally framed against seven.
The acquitted individuals include:
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Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur
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Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit
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Major (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay
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Sudhakar Chaturvedi
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Ajay Rahirkar
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Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi alias Shankaracharya
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Sameer Kulkarni
Court Observations
Delivering the verdict, Judge Lahoti noted that while the prosecution successfully established the occurrence of the blast, it failed to prove that the motorcycle used in the explosion was linked to the accused.
“The prosecution could not conclusively prove that the bomb was planted in the motorcycle recovered from the scene,” the court observed.
The court also flagged discrepancies in medical documentation, stating:
“The court finds that the actual number of injured persons is 95, not 101 as previously claimed. Manipulations were found in certain medical certificates.”
The NIA court directed the Maharashtra government to award compensation of ₹2 lakh to the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 to each of the injured victims.
This verdict marks the conclusion of one of India’s most politically sensitive and controversial terror cases, investigated initially by the Maharashtra ATS and later handed over to the NIA in 2011.
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