A Special NIA Court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast—among them Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit—ruling that guilt wasn’t proven beyond reasonable doubt. The verdict emphasized that mere suspicion cannot replace real proof, and cited defective UAPA sanction orders and major investigative lapses.
A National Investigation Agency court presided by Special Judge A. K. Lahoti declared all seven defendants not guilty, citing insufficient and unreliable prosecution evidence. The accused included former BJP Member of Parliament Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sameer Kulkarni, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi.
Why the Court Acquitted
- Judge Lahoti underscored that suspicion without substantiation is not enough for a conviction. “Mere suspicion cannot replace real proof” was a recurring principle in the judgment.
- The prosecution failed to prove the accused’s physical link to the bomb or establish that it was planted on the motorcycle allegedly associated with Thakur. Ownership and forensic ties were deemed unsubstantiated.
- Intercepted call records were declared illegal and inadmissible due to deficiencies in sanction orders, eroding the integrity of alleged conspiracy proofs.
- The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) charges were tossed out as sanction orders were found defective, rendering its invocation invalid.
Court-Ordered Relief and Stakeholder Statements
The court directed the Maharashtra government to pay:
- ₹2 lakh compensation to each victim’s family
- ₹50,000 to each injured person
Personal Statements
- Pragya Thakur described her life as destroyed by years-long allegations, alleging illegal detention and torture. She declared:
“Ye bhagwa ki Vijay hui hai. Hindutva ki Vijay hui hai.” - Lt Col Prasad Purohit, speaking post-verdict, thanked the court for the opportunity to serve his nation again.
Political Fallout & Broader Reactions
- Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Eknath Shinde celebrated the verdict, rejecting the “Hindu terror” label and calling for Congress to apologize for falsely stigmatising Hindutva followers.
- Digvijaya Singh, senior Congress leader, responded with measured restraint: “No faith advocates violence”—stressing terrorism should not carry religious connotations.
- Victims’ legal counsel announced plans to challenge the acquittal in the High Court, pointing to procedural irregularities in the initial investigation.
- Crime scene contamination: The court noted proper barricading wasn’t done at the blast site, possibly invalidating forensic credibility.
- Unexplored chain of custody issues: The motorcycle central to the case had inconsistent documentation and unclear ownership trail.
Timeline Recap
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Sep 29, 2008 | Explosion in Malegaon kills six, injures over 100 during Ramzan Eid |
| Oct 2008 | ATS arrests Pragya Thakur, Purohit, and others |
| Jan 2009 | 4,000+ page ATS chargesheet filed, later overseen by NIA |
| Apr 2025 | Final arguments concluded in over 1,300-page case brief |
| Jul 31, 2025 | Special NIA court acquits all seven accused after 17-year trial |
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