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. The verdict comes 17 years after the blast that killed six and injured over 100 during the holy month of Ramzan in Malegaon, Maharashtra.
Special Judge AK Lahoti stated that “mere suspicion cannot take the case forward” and noted that the prosecution failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt. “There has been a grave incident against society, but conviction cannot be based on moral grounds,” the judge added.
The court ruled that there was no concrete evidence linking Pragya Thakur to the motorcycle used in the blast, and no proof that Purohit arranged explosives. The court also exonerated the group Abhinav Bharat, citing lack of evidence of involvement in terror activities.
The verdict marks the end of a controversial trial often linked with the term “Hindu terror”. The court emphasized that “terrorism has no religion”.
The other acquitted individuals include Major (Retd.) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi alias Shankaracharya, and Sameer Kulkarni.
Pragya Thakur called the verdict a “victory for Hindutva,” while Purohit said he was a victim of injustice. The court has ordered compensation of ₹2 lakh for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured.