2008 Malegaon Blast: Victims Appeal Acquittal of Accused in Bombay High Court
Victims of the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast have approached the Bombay High Court against the special court order that acquitted all accused, including former BJP leader Pragya Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit.
The appeal, filed by survivor Nisar Ahmed Sayyed Bilal along with other victims through advocate Abdul Mateen Shaikh, is listed before a division bench of Justices Ajay Gadkari and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale on September 15.
The trial court had acquitted the accused, holding that the prosecution failed to prove that the motorcycle used in the blast belonged to Thakur. It observed that she had renounced worldly life before the incident and found no substantial evidence against her or others. On Col. Purohit, the court said there was no proof of explosives being stored at his residence or that funds of Abhinav Bharat, founded by him and Thakur, were used for terror activities.
The victims, however, argue that there was enough testimony to link Thakur to the LML motorcycle, which exploded near a mosque on September 29, 2008. They contend that her claim of no longer possessing the bike was accepted without evidence. On Purohit, the appeal highlights his admission of attending conspiracy meetings and questions why the trial court disregarded the fact that he was not officially deployed or reporting to superiors about those meetings.
The blast case, investigated first by Maharashtra ATS under slain officer Hemant Karkare and later by the NIA, has seen multiple twists. While ATS accused Thakur and Purohit of conspiring to target Muslims through Abhinav Bharat, the NIA in 2016 dropped charges against Thakur, claiming lack of evidence and alleging that ATS coerced witnesses. The move stirred controversy, especially after the then special public prosecutor Rohini Salian said she was asked to go “soft” on the accused.
Despite NIA’s clean chit, the special court had refused to discharge Thakur, noting incriminating material from ATS. The trial, which began in 2018, concluded in April 2025 with the acquittal of all seven accused, a verdict now being contested by the victims.
