In a landmark judgment, a special NIA court on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, citing lack of sufficient evidence.
The court dropped charges under UAPA, IPC, and the Arms Act, bringing an end to a nearly 17-year-long trial related to the deadly explosion that claimed six lives and injured over 100 in the communally sensitive town of Malegaon, Maharashtra.
The bomb, strapped to a motorcycle, exploded near Bhikku Chowk mosque on September 29, 2008, during Ramzan and days before Navratri, escalating communal tensions.
Over the years, the case saw over one lakh pages of documents, 323 witnesses, and 34 hostile testimonies, weakening the prosecution&rsquo;s case. Initially probed by the Maharashtra ATS, the case was transferred to the NIA in 2011. A 2016 supplementary chargesheet dropped charges against some key accused.
All seven were out on bail. The court directed Rs 2 lakh compensation for each deceased&rsquo;s family and Rs 50,000 for each injured.
[Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.]
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NIA court clears all seven accused in Malegaon blast case citing lack of evidence

All Accused Acquitted in 2008 Blast Case

NIA court clears all seven accused in Malegaon blast case citing lack of evidence

July 31, 2025 | 17:18 IST