2008 Malegaon blast case: NIA Court acquits Pragya Thakur, Lt Col Purohit and other accused

In an order issued on July 31, 2025, a Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai released all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon bombing case, with retired Lt Col Prasad Purohit and well-known former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur being the most significant. After around 17 years of judicial proceedings, the decision was made.

Important points of the verdict

• The prosecution failed to prove that the motorcycle used in the blast belonged to Pragya Thakur or that she was in hold of it at the time. 

• The court found no strong evidence linking Lt Col Purohit to the storage or assembly of explosives at his residence.

• Forensic samples in the case were found contaminated and inconclusive, decreasing their evidentiary value.

• The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) could not be applied due to defective sanction orders, rendering those charges invalid.

• The court emphasised that despite the occurrence of the blast, suspicion alone could not lead to convictions; the accused deserved the benefit of the doubt.

Case background

Six people were killed and more than a hundred were injured when an explosive device mounted on a motorcycle exploded close to a mosque in Malegaon, Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008. Lt Col Purohit and Pragya Thakur were among the people involved in the Maharashtra ATS’s initial investigations. The matter was moved to the NIA in 2011 for a new investigation.

The ATS’s practices were called into doubt during the course of the investigation, including claims of forceful confessions and fake evidence. Other cases, where the accused were later acquitted because of inadequate investigations, had been subject to similar scrutiny.

By 2017, some accused people received bail based on their health, and some accusations under organized crime regulations were withdrawn. Nevertheless, the charges concerning terrorism remained until the verdict.

Implication and Response

Legal experts hailed the ruling as a turning point emphasizing the importance of robust and reliable evidence in terrorism-related trials. The decision also brings renewed focus to the credibility of investigating agencies in high-profile security cases.

The verdict is politically and socially significant, given the high-profile identities involved and the case’s long-standing public attention.

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