2008 Malegaon Blast Case: All Accused Acquitted After 17 Years, Court Cites Lack of Evidence
Mumbai/Malegaon : In a major verdict on Friday, a special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt. Colonel Prasad Purohit, in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. The court stated that the prosecution failed to prove the charges, and all the accused were entitled to the benefit of the doubt.
All Accused Present in Court During Verdict
Pragya Thakur, Col. Purohit, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sameer Kulkarni were present in court when the verdict was delivered. After the judgment, Pragya Thakur declared it as a “victory for every saffron flag.”
What Was the 2008 Malegaon Blast?
On September 29, 2008, an improvised explosive device (IED) planted on an LML Freedom motorcycle exploded in a Muslim-majority area of Malegaon during the holy month of Ramadan. The blast killed six people and injured over 95. The incident occurred just as preparations for the Hindu festival of Navratri were underway in the locality.
What Did the Court Say?
Special NIA Judge A.K. Lahoti stated the following in the verdict: It could not be proven that the explosives were placed on the motorcycle. There was no concrete evidence regarding the origin or transport of the RDX. It was unclear how the motorcycle reached the blast site. Key forensic evidence such as fingerprints was not collected. Although the motorcycle was registered in Pragya Thakur’s name, there was no proof it was in her possession at the time of the blast. No credible evidence of any conspiratorial meeting or bomb-making activities was found. Witness statements were inconsistent and vague.
Details of ATS and NIA Investigations
Initially, the case was investigated by Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which filed a charge sheet in January 2009, naming 11 accused. ATS alleged that the blast was a retaliatory act against Islamic terrorism and invoked charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
In 2011, the case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). In 2016, the NIA filed a supplementary charge sheet and dropped MCOCA charges, citing several discrepancies in the ATS investigation and excessive reliance on confessional statements.
The NIA acknowledged that although the motorcycle used in the blast was registered to Pragya Thakur, it had been in the possession of absconding accused Ramchandra Kalasangra for a long time before the incident.
NIA Had Sought to Drop Charges Against Pragya Thakur
The NIA had appealed to the court to remove Pragya Thakur from the list of accused. However, the court rejected this request but did agree with the agency’s position that MCOCA was not applicable in this case.
Final Conclusion
After years of proceedings and investigation, the court concluded:
The seven accused – Pragya Thakur, Col. Purohit, Ramesh Upadhyay, Sameer Kulkarni, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, and Sudhakar Chaturvedi – were acquitted due to lack of sufficient evidence.
Three others – Shivnarayan Kalasangra, Shyamlal Sahu, and Praveen Takalki – had already been discharged earlier.
Two more accused – Rakesh Dhawde and Jagdish Mhatre – will face trial only under the Arms Act.
Potential Political Repercussions
The verdict is likely to stir reactions in political and social circles, especially since the term “saffron terror” had previously sparked intense controversy. With this acquittal, the case is expected to once again ignite debate in national political discourse.