By Raveena Kumari 
After 17 years of trial, a special NIA court acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, citing lack of concrete evidence. Those acquitted include ex-BJP MP Pragya Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit.
The 2008 blast, which killed six people and injured over 100 during Ramzan, was allegedly carried out using a bomb strapped to a motorcycle in the Muslim-majority town of Malegaon.
Judge A.K. Lahoti ruled that “suspicion alone is not enough”, and “terrorism has no religion”—dismissing claims of a Hindu extremist conspiracy by the group Abhinav Bharat.
📉 The court found:
No forensic link between the bike and Pragya Thakur
No proof Lt Col Purohit brought or handled RDX
No credible evidence Abhinav Bharat was involved in terrorism
While acknowledging six deaths, the court questioned the injury count and ordered compensation:
₹2 lakh for each deceased’s family
₹50,000 for each injured
Sadhvi Pragya, in tears, claimed “Hindutva has won”, calling it a battle of faith.
Purohit said he was a victim of “mentally ill people” who abused their power.
The verdict has reignited debates on justice, politics, and the controversial term “saffron terror”.
Special Judge AK Lahoti said mere suspicion cannot take the case forward and noted that the prosecution failed to establish the allegations against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.
‘TERRORISM HAS NO RELIGION’
“There has been a grave incident against society. But the court cannot convict just on moral grounds,” the judge said, bringing closure to a case that saw the arrest of individuals linked to Hindu right-wing groups. It gave rise to the controversial phrase “Hindu terror”.
In a stark remark, the court said, “Terrorism has no religion, but conviction cannot be based on moral grounds.”
Apart from Pragya Thakur and Purohit, the others who have been acquitted are Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi alias Shankaracharya, and Sameer Kulkarni.
Six people were killed and more than 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle (LML Freedom bike) went off in Malegaon, a town with a sizeable Muslim population, on September 29, 2008. The blast took place during the holy month of Ramzan.
The case was initially probed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) before being transferred to the NIA in 2011. The ATS had alleged that the blast was part of a conspiracy involving the group Abhinav Bharat to take revenge for previous atrocities committed by Muslims on Hindus.
The ATS had claimed that Pragya Thakur, who was arrested in 2008, was the owner of the motorcycle used in the blast.
It also claimed that Lt Col Purohit, then an Army officer posted in military intelligence, helped arrange explosives and was part of meetings with Abhinav Bharat.
NO PROOF AGAINST PRAGYA THAKUR, PUROHIT
On Thursday, the court said there was no evidence on record that Purohit brought RDX and assembled the bomb. Judge Lahoti also said there was no cogent evidence that Pragya Thakur was the owner of the vehicle.
“The serial number of the chassis was not completely recovered by the forensic experts and, therefore, the prosecution failed to prove that the bike belonged to her,” the court said.
The court further said that Pragya Thakur had become a sanyasi and had left all material things two years before the blast.
The court also exonerated Abhinav Bharat, saying there is no evidence that the group was involved in any “terror activity”.
“There is no evidence that Abhinav Bharat was used for terror activity. Material witnesses have not supported the prosecution case. The prosecution has been unsuccessful in proving the meetings took place (for conspiracy),” the court further said.
The court also refused to buy the prosecution’s argument that 101 people were injured, even though it acknowledged that six people were killed in the blast.
It ordered compensation of Rs 2 lakh for each of the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.
SADHVI PRAGYA REACTS
Speaking to the media after the verdict, an emotional Pragya Thakur, with tears in her eyes, said it was a victory for Hindutva.
“My life has been ruined in the past 17 years. God will punish those who tried to insult ‘Bhagwa’. Today, saffron has won, Hindutva has won, the allegation of saffron terrorism has been proved false,” Thakur said.
Without naming anyone, Purohit said he was a victim of “mentally ill people”.
“I am a soldier who loves this country unconditionally. I am a victim of mentally ill people… Some people misused our power. We had to bear it,” he said.
Khabar Rojana