**Malegaon 2008 Blast: Special Court Acquits All Seven Accused, Including Pragya Thakur**

Quick Summary

• A special NIA court in Mumbai has acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt.Col. Prasad Purohit.
• The court, presided by Special Judge A.K. Lahoti, ruled that the prosecution “failed to prove the case” and that the accused “deserved the benefit of doubt.”
• The judgment noted that no conclusive evidence linked Pragya thakur to a motorbike allegedly used to carry explosives for the blast.
• On September 29, 2008, a bomb explosion in Malegaon killed 10 people and injured over 100 others. Initial investigations were conducted by Azad Nagar police station before being handed over to ATS (Anti Terrorism Squad), which filed chargesheets in 2009 and 2011.
• The Ministry of Home affairs transferred further investigation to NIA (National Investigation Agency) in April 2011.
• In May 2016, NIA filed it’s second supplementary chargesheet dropping MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) charges against all accused individuals.
• In December 2017, remaining charges were reshaped under IPC (Indian Penal Code), Arms Act, Explosive substances Act, and UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act).
• All accused had been on bail prior to today’s ruling.

Indian Opinion Analysis

the acquittal marks a meaningful phase in one of India’s longest-running terrorism-related cases.It underscores challenges faced by investigative agencies when presenting evidence strong enough for conviction over nearly two decades of effort involving multiple authorities-ATS initially and later NIA with interventions from central ministries like Home Affairs.

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