Former BJP MP Pragya Thakur was today acquitted of all charges in the 2008 Malegaon blast case after a Mumbai court ruled there was "no evidence" to prove that the motorcycle allegedly used in the blast belonged to her.

"The motorbike's chassis number was wiped out, and the engine number is in doubt. There is no evidence to show Sadhvi (Pragya Thakur) is the owner and no evidence to show she was in possession of the vehicle," the judge said.

The court noted that while the prosecution proved the blast occurred, it failed to establish that the explosive was fitted on the LML Freedom motorcycle linked to Thakur.

Today's verdict ends a 17-year-long trial that made Pragya Thakur, then in her late 30s, the face of "Hindu terror." She was accused of arranging manpower for the blast, while co-accused Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit allegedly provided explosives. Both, along with five others, were acquitted.

What was the 2008 Malegaon Blast, and who were accused?

On September 29, 2008, a bomb exploded in a busy area of Malegaon, a Muslim-dominated town in Maharashtra's Nashik district. It was the holy month of Ramadan, and many people were present in the area when the blast happened. Six people were killed, and 95 were injured.

The bomb was reportedly planted on an LML Freedom motorcycle. The number plate was fake, and the engine and chassis numbers were scratched off. After forensic testing, the bike was found to be registered in the name of Pragya Singh Thakur, a former BJP MP. This led the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to arrest her on October 23, 2008. Soon after, the ATS arrested ten more people, including a serving army officer, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit.

The ATS believed that the accused were part of a group called Abhinav Bharat and had carried out the attack “in revenge against terrorist acts by Muslim men.” They were charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

At the time, this was the first major terror case in India where alleged Hindu extremists were arrested. The incident shocked the country and started a long legal battle.

How did the investigation change over the years?

The case was first investigated by the Maharashtra ATS, but in 2011, it was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Over time, the investigation saw many twists.

In 2016, the NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet and dropped MCOCA charges against most of the accused. The agency also said that the way ATS applied the MCOCA law was “questionable.” The NIA claimed there were many problems with the evidence collected by the ATS, especially against Pragya Singh Thakur.

While the ATS had arrested her, saying the bike used in the blast was hers, the NIA said it was actually being used by Ramchandra Kalsangra, an absconding accused. An NIA official told the Hindustan Times, “The motorcycle was owned by Thakur, but it was being used by Ramchandra Kalsangra... for at least one-and-a-half years before the blast.”

The NIA also found that many witness statements were weak or had changed. Around 40 witnesses turned hostile during the trial, including some who had been part of the early ATS probe.

Though the NIA wanted Pragya Thakur's name to be dropped from the list of accused, the court did not fully agree. It said that it was “difficult to accept” her claim of having no connection to the blast. So, she and six others continued to face trial under UAPA and other criminal laws.

What happened in the trial?

The trial began in 2018 and went on until April 19, 2025. It became one of India's longest-running and most sensitive terror cases.

The special NIA court in Mumbai examined over 323 prosecution witnesses and 8 defence witnesses. More than 10,800 documents were submitted, and 404 items were seized as evidence. The case saw five different NIA judges over the years. The final written arguments by the prosecution alone ran into three volumes and 1,300 pages.

According to PTI, in its final arguments, the NIA said, “The Malegaon blast was orchestrated by the conspirators to terrorise a section of the Muslim community, disrupt essential services, create communal tensions, and threaten the state's internal security.”

The charges against the accused included:

  • UAPA Section 16 (committing terrorist act)
  • UAPA Section 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act)
  • IPC Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (causing hurt), and 153A (promoting enmity between religious groups)
  • Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Act

However, after hearing arguments from both sides and reviewing all the evidence, the special NIA court said on Thursday that the prosecution failed to prove its case. It said there was no clear evidence that a bomb was placed on the motorcycle linked to Pragya Thakur.

The court also found manipulation in some of the medical certificates related to injuries from the blast. Although it was earlier said that 101 people were injured, the court said the actual number was 95.

What is the final judgement?

On July 31, 2025, a special court in Mumbai acquitted all the accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. This includes:

  • Pragya Singh Thakur
  • Lt Col Prasad Purohit
  • Ramesh Upadhyay
  • Sameer Kulkarni
  • Sudhakar Onkarnath Chaturvedi
  • Ajay Rahirkar
  • Sudhakar Dwivedi

Earlier, three others Shivnarayan Kalsangra, Shyamlal Sahu, and Pravin Takalki—were discharged due to lack of evidence. Two others, Rakesh Dhawde and Jagdish Mhatre, are still facing trial, but only under the Arms Act.

The court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove that any of the accused were involved in the terror act.

After nearly 17 years, the case that once drew national attention for being the first of its kind involving Hindus accused in a terror plot has ended with full acquittals for all the main accused.

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