A special NIA court on Monday acquitted former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and six others in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

The court cited insufficient evidence. Delivering the verdict, the judge stated, “The prosecution has failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt. There might be strong suspicion against the accused, but suspicion alone is not enough to punish them.”

Hearing concluded in April

The court had reserved its judgment on April 19, after completing hearings and final arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.

The court stated that the hearing concluded in April, but given the voluminous nature of the case — comprising over one lakh pages of evidence and documentation — additional time is required to go through all records before pronouncing the verdict.

Pragya Thakur, six others faced trial

A total of seven individuals were facing trial in the case, including Lt Col Prasad Purohit, former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, and retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay.

They were charged under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). All accused are currently out on bail.

Malegaon blast case

The blast occurred on September 29, 2008, in Malegaon, a communally sensitive town in Maharashtra, during the holy month of Ramzan and just ahead of Navratri. The explosion claimed six lives and left over 100 people injured.

Over the course of a decade-long trial, the prosecution examined 323 witnesses, 34 of whom turned hostile.

Initially, the case was investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). However, in 2011, the probe was handed over to the NIA.

In 2016, the NIA submitted a charge sheet that cleared Pragya Singh Thakur and several other accused, citing insufficient evidence. The verdict, issued almost 17 years after the incident, is highly anticipated and is likely to have important legal and political consequences.

With inputs from PTI