Families Challenge Acquittals in 2008 Malegaon Blast Case

In a significant legal development, families of the 2008 Malegaon blast victims have approached the Bombay High Court to contest the acquittal of all accused by a special NIA court. Notably included among the acquitted were Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit. The blast, which struck on September 29, 2008, near a mosque in Malegaon, Nashik district, claimed six lives and wounded 101 others.

The legal appeal, submitted by six family members of the victims, argues that the initial court's verdict was flawed, and requests for it to be overturned. It highlights alleged faults in investigations, pointing fingers particularly at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for weakening the prosecution's case. The families claim the investigation was compromised, and crucial evidence was mishandled, prompting them to seek an overturn of the verdict, citing reliance on circumstantial evidence in conspiracy cases.

Scheduled for hearing on September 15, 2025, the case will be deliberated by Justices AS Gadkari and RR Bhosale. Notably, the prosecutors, the NIA, have not yet filed an appeal. The initial acquittal followed an extensive examination of evidence involving 323 prosecution witnesses and eight defense witnesses, concluding the absence of sufficient proof to convict the accused under multiple charges, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act.

(With inputs from agencies.)