Mumbai’s NIA Special Court on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, citing the prosecution’s failure to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The court also directed the Maharashtra government to provide ₹2 lakh compensation to the families of those killed and ₹50,000 to the injured.
The accused in the case included former MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi (also known as Shankaracharya), and Sameer Kulkarni.
The court examined 323 prosecution witnesses and 8 defence witnesses before delivering the verdict. All seven accused have been acquitted of charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Arms Act, and other related sections.
“While the prosecution successfully established that a blast occurred in Malegaon, it failed to prove that the bomb was planted on the seized motorcycle,” observed Judge Abhay Lohati.
The court also noted discrepancies in medical documentation. “The court concludes that the number of injured was 95, not 101, and there were manipulations in some of the medical certificates,” it said.
Regarding accused Prasad Purohit, the court stated there was no evidence indicating explosives were stored or assembled at his residence.
“No sketch of the blast site was prepared during the panchnama by the investigating officer. No fingerprints, mobile dump data, or other forensic evidence was collected from the site. The samples were contaminated, making the reports inconclusive and unreliable,” the court added.
On the alleged involvement of the Abhinav Bharat organisation, the court found no evidence to suggest that the group’s funds were used for any terror-related activities.
The case pertains to a blast that occurred on September 29, 2008, when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle exploded near a mosque at Bhikku Chowk in Malegaon, killing six people and injuring 95 others. Initially, 11 individuals were named as accused; however, charges were ultimately framed against seven, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya. (AGENCIES)
