All 7 accused acquitted in 2008 Malegaon blast case, including BJP MP Pragya Thakur

A special NIA court on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit. The verdict came 17 years after an explosive device killed six and injured nearly 100 near a mosque in Maharashtra’s Malegaon on September 29, 2008.

The court held that the prosecution failed to establish that the bomb was planted in the motorcycle allegedly linked to Thakur. It observed that the bike did not have a clear chassis number and the prosecution could not prove that it was in her possession immediately before the blast.

The court further said there were lapses in the investigation process. It noted that no sketch of the blast site was made during the panchnama, no fingerprints or mobile dump data were collected, and that the forensic samples were contaminated. Due to this, the court stated that the reports could not be considered conclusive or reliable.

In Purohit’s case, the court stated that there was no evidence of explosives being stored or assembled at his residence. The court also ruled that charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act could not be applied as the mandatory sanctions required under the law were defective. “Both the sanction orders of the UAPA in the case are defective,” the court said.

The court added that the total number of injured was 95, not 101 as initially claimed, and pointed out irregularities in some of the medical certificates submitted. The investigation was originally conducted by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2011. All seven accused were on bail at the time of the verdict.