2008 Malegaon blast case verdict: Ex-BJP MP Pragya Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and 5 other accused acquitted

All seven accused acquitted in 2008 Malegaon blast case verdict. NIA Special court judge delivered the verdict today, July 31. The verdict comes almost 17 years after a blast killed six persons and left more than 100 injured in Maharashtra's communally sensitive Malegaon town. 

2008 Malegaon blast verdict

The seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case are BJP leader and former MP Pragya Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni acquitted in 2008 Malegaon blast case. As per reports, the court states that there is no proof that Col Purohit manufactured the bomb and no conclusive evidence that Pragya Thakur owned the bike used in the blast

About the 2008 Malegaon blast

Seven key faces trial in the case for offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code. On September 29, 2008, a blast took place in Malegaon, Mumbai. A motorcycle detached with a device exploded near a mosque in the town, located 200 km away from Mumbai. The blast took place at the holy month of Ramzan, just before Navaratri festival. After Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), NIA took the role to investigate the case. The trial, which started in 2018, got over on April 19, 2025, and the case was reserved for judgement.

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