Malegaon Blast Verdict: All 7 Accused, Including Sadhvi Pragya, Acquitted by NIA. What Court Said

After nearly 17 years, the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai on Thursday delivered its verdict on the 2008 Malegaon blast case and acquitted all seven accused including former BJP MP Pragya Thakur and ex Army officer Shrikant Purohit. The court also announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh to each deceased victim and Rs 50,000 to injured.

The court had examined 323 prosecution witnesses and 8 defence witnesses before pronouncing the verdict. The 7 people have been acquitted of all charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms act and all other charges.

On the night of September 29, 2008, an explosive device allegedly strapped to a motorcycle tore through Malegaon’s bustling Bhikku Chowk, just after evening prayers in the holy month of Ramzan and on the cusp of Navratri. Six people were killed and more than a hundred were injured. Ten-year-old Farheen who had stepped out only to buy vada-pav was among the dead. 

Pragya Thakur elevated to BJP MP from Bhopal in 2019 alongside Lt Col Prasad Purohit, Major Ramesh Upadhyay (retd), Ajay Rahirkar, Sameer Kulkarni, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) claimed the motorcycle belonged to Thakur, while Purohit purportedly ferried RDX from Jammu & Kashmir and stashed it at home. 

No proven ownership of motorcycle by Pragya Thakur

The court observed that the chassis number of the motorcycle allegedly used in the blast was found to be wiped out, and there was no cogent or reliable evidence to prove that Pragya Singh Thakur owned the vehicle.

The court further observed that she had become a sanyasi (renunciant) two years before the blast and had distanced herself from material possessions.

Blast proven, not the vehicle link

The special judge said that the prosecution successfully established that a blast occurred in Malegaon. However, it failed to prove that the bomb was planted in the motorcycle recovered from the scene.

Contamination of crime scene

The court observed that the blast site was not properly barricaded after the incident. As  a result, the crime scene was contaminated.

The court also noted that while injuries to victims were partially established, the number of injured persons was found to be 95, not 101 as originally claimed.

The court found no evidence to suggest that Lt Col Prasad Purohit stored RDX at his residence, transported it from Kashmir, or assembled the bomb at his house.

The judge further said, says terrorism has no religion as no religion can advocate violence.

A Courtroom of High Drama 

When the trial opened on December 3, 2018, it unleashed a deluge of 320-plus witnesses, thirty-seven of whom later flipped. A plea for in-camera proceedings was rejected, keeping every twist in full public glare.