Malegaon Blast Case: Pragya Thakur, All 7 Accused Acquitted by NIA Court

A special NIA court on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, bringing a 17-year-long trial to a close. The court cited a lack of sufficient evidence and significant procedural lapses by investigating agencies as the primary reasons for the acquittal in the case, which had claimed six lives and injured over a hundred.

The blast occurred on September 29, 2008, in the textile town of Malegaon, Maharashtra. In its verdict, the court ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt. The judge highlighted several critical failures in the investigation, noting that it could not be conclusively proven that the motorcycle used in the blast belonged to Pragya Thakur or that it was the sole instrument in the explosion.

The court also pointed to other investigative flaws, such as the inability to substantiate claims that Lt Col Purohit had stored RDX at his residence. The spot panchnama was deemed improper, and a voice test was not conducted according to prescribed rules. The prosecution’s case, which alleged that secret meetings were held to conspire the attack, could not be established with credible evidence. The other individuals acquitted are Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sameer Kulkarni.

The case was initially probed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) before being transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2011. The NIA had argued that the accused orchestrated the blast in the Muslim-majority town to terrorize the community, incite communal tensions, and threaten national security. The agency contended that the timing of the blast, during the holy month of Ramzan and just before Navratri, was a deliberate attempt to maximize fear.

The accused were charged under several stringent laws, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for committing and conspiring to commit a terrorist act, and Indian Penal Code sections for murder, attempt to murder, and promoting enmity between religious groups. The trial, which began in 2018, saw the prosecution present 323 witnesses, but the case was weakened when 37 of them turned hostile. Ultimately, the court concluded that the evidence presented was insufficient to secure a conviction.