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Malegaon Blast
Pragya Singh Thakur. Photo: Pragya Thakur/X

Former BJP MP Pragya Thakur, Col Purohit, all other accused acquitted in Malegaon blast case

| @indiablooms | Jul 31, 2025, at 11:50 am

Mumbai/IBNS: All seven accused including former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Pragya Thakur and ex-Army officer Lt. Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit have been acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, media reports said.

All were out on bail. 

The judgement has been passed by a special court 17 years after the blast killed six people and injured more than hundred.

Special judge AK Lahoti said the prosecution couldn't prove the allegations against the accused.

Justice Lahoti said the prosecution couldn't prove the motorcycle used in the blast belonged to Pragya Thakur. 

The accused have been given benefit of doubt by the judge.

The blast took place when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town about 200 km from here in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008.

The accused were facing charged under Unlawful Activities Prevention (Act) and various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

They were charged with conspiracy, murder, attempt to murder, promoting enmity and voluntarily causing hurt, NDTV. 

'Hindus can never be terrorists': BJP 

Reacting to the judgement, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya wrote on X, "The sinister conspiracy by the Congress to manufacture the bogey of ‘Saffron Terror’ has not just collapsed — it has been buried for good.

"Those like Sonia Gandhi, P. Chidambaram, and Sushilkumar Shinde, who led this malicious campaign, owe an unconditional apology to Hindus for maligning Sanatan Dharma. Sanatan is sacred. Hindus can never be terrorists."

Author Anand Ranganathan posted on Facebook, "They beat her till blood poured out. They pressed her to admit to saffron terror. She refused. They beat her more. She suffered brain-swelling and cancer. Today, 17 years later, Sadhvi Pragya is free. But those who tortured and framed her are also free. How is this justice?"

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