In a significant development, Mumbai’s Special NIA Court on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, citing insufficient evidence to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The court also directed the Maharashtra government to compensate the victims’ families with ₹2 lakh each and ₹50,000 for each injured person.
The seven individuals acquitted include Sadhvi Pragya, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Shankaracharya alias Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi, and Sameer Kulkarni. All were facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act, and other laws.
“All bail bonds of the accused are cancelled, and sureties are discharged,” the court announced.
Special Judge Abhay Lohati, who presided over the case, said, “The prosecution was able to prove that a blast occurred in Malegaon but failed to establish who placed the bomb in the motorcycle.” The court noted major lapses in the investigation, including the lack of fingerprint or data evidence, contaminated samples, and failure to document the crime scene properly.
The court also raised concerns about manipulated medical records, concluding that the actual number of injured was 95, not 101 as previously reported.
Regarding the alleged role of the Abhinav Bharat organization, the court said there was no evidence indicating that the group’s funds were used for terror activities. Similarly, there was no proof that explosives were stored or assembled at the residence of Prasad Purohit, another key accused.
The verdict came after 17 years of legal proceedings, during which the court examined 323 prosecution witnesses and eight defence witnesses.
The Malegaon blast took place on September 29, 2008, when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded near Bhikku Chowk, adjacent to a mosque in Malegaon city, killing six people and injuring 95 others.
Originally, 11 people were accused, but charges were formally framed against only seven by the NIA court. All have now been acquitted.
