2008 Malegaon Blast Case - Acquittal of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur

On September 29, 2008, a bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded in Malegaon, Maharashtra, killing six people and injuring over 100. The Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Hindu nationalist activist Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, serving army officer Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, and others, alleging a right-wing terror plot. The case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which later found no evidence of a conspiracy and sought to drop charges. After prolonged legal battles, a special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused on January 23, 2025, accepting the NIA's stance that the prosecution failed to prove the conspiracy. The court criticized the investigation for relying on coerced statements and tainted evidence, and noted the misuse of anti-terror laws. The acquittal ended a 16-year legal ordeal for the accused.

On January 23, 2025, the special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused, including Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Lt. Col. Purohit, citing lack of credible evidence and procedural lapses. The court held that the prosecution failed to establish a criminal conspiracy and that the investigation was biased. The acquittal confirmed the NIA's earlier discharge recommendation.

The case sparked intense debate over the existence of “saffron terror,” with the prosecution alleging that radical Hindu groups orchestrated the blast as retaliation for Muslim terrorism. The defense argued that charges were fabricated due to political pressure and that forensic evidence contradicted the conspiracy theory. The NIA's clean chit and the eventual acquittal intensified accusations of political interference in the investigation and the justice system.

The verdict deepened communal and political polarization. Supporters hailed it as vindication of innocent Hindus framed by a biased UPA-era government, while critics saw it as a failure to deliver justice for blast victims. The case influenced public discourse on counterterrorism laws, custodial torture, and the politicization of terror investigations. It also reinforced the political stature of Sadhvi Pragya, who had become a Member of Parliament in 2019.