Maharashtra: Nanded court acquits all 9 surviving accused in the 2006 bomb blast case

A sessions court in Nanded on Saturday acquitted all nine surviving accused in connection with the 2006 explosion at a residence in Nanded city. The verdict was delivered by District and Additional Sessions Judge C.V. Marathe, bringing an end to nearly two decades of legal proceedings.

The case dates back to the intervening night of April 4 and 5, 2006, when an explosion occurred at the house of Laxman Rajkondwar, allegedly a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker. The incident claimed the lives of Rajkondwar's son, Naresh Rajkondwar, and Vishva Hindu Parishad activist Himanshu Panse. Investigators had claimed that the two were killed while allegedly assembling an explosive device.

Of the 12 individuals initially accused in the case, two died in the explosion itself, while a third passed away during the course of the trial. The remaining nine accused were acquitted on Saturday.

The case was initially investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). During the trial, 49 prosecution witnesses were examined, but according to defence lawyer Nitin Runwal, the prosecution failed to establish that the incident was a bomb blast. Runwal argued that the explosion could have been caused by a gas cylinder or another inflammable object, leading to reasonable doubt about the nature of the incident.

The detailed order from the court has not yet been released. However, Saturday’s acquittal has sparked discussions about the investigation and prosecution of the case, which has remained controversial over the years.