All accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case have been acquitted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Thursday, July 31. The seven accused, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh, Lt. Colonel Purohit, and others, were present at the special NIA court in Mumbai. The blast occurred on September 29, 2008, when an explosive device attached to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon City, Nashik, resulting in the deaths of six people and injuries to several others.
The NIA special court stated that there was no evidence was found against Lt. Colonel Purohit proving that he manufactured or supplied the bomb, nor has it been established who planted the bomb. The court further said that experts failed to collect evidence properly after the incident, resulting in contamination of crucial proof. Following the blast, riot-like conditions erupted at the site, with local residents attacking police forces, further complicating the investigation.
The court also said that there is a significant difference between the ATS and NIA charge sheets. The prosecution failed to prove that the bomb was inside the motorcycle, which was allegedly registered in the name of BJP leader Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. The court observed that the panchnama was not conducted properly after the blast and no fingerprints were collected from the crime scene. It also noted that the chassis number of the motorcycle was never recovered and it could not be established that Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was the owner of the vehicle
The NIA court observed that there was no evidence to prove the bomb was planted inside the motorcycle of Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit. It stated that the explosive could have been placed or hung on the vehicle. Additionally, the court noted that there was no proof that RDX was stored at Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit’s residence.