Malegaon Bombing: Bombay High Court Issues Notice to NIA and Seven Acquitted Individuals

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has issued notices to the seven individuals acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon bombing case, as well as to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The notices were issued on Thursday in response to an appeal filed by the families of the victims. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Shri Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad, sent notices to the NIA and the Maharashtra government. The hearing has been adjourned for six weeks. The appeal challenges the acquittal of six people who lost their lives in the bombing.

The special NIA court had acquitted all accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, who were linked to Hindutva extremist groups. The petitioners argued that errors in the investigation should not justify acquittal. They contended that the bombing was planned secretly, leaving no direct evidence. According to the petitioners, the July 31 order of acquittal by the special NIA court was incorrect and illegal, and should therefore be overturned.

On September 29, 2008, during Ramadan, a bomb planted on a motorcycle in front of a mosque in Malegaon, Nashik district, Maharashtra, exploded, killing six people and injuring over a hundred. The anti-terrorism squad had identified Pragya Singh Thakur as being involved. The case indicated that the bombing was orchestrated by Abhinav Bharat, a Hindutva extremist organisation led by Purohit. Initially investigated by the Maharashtra ATS, the case was later taken over by the NIA. The NIA’s chargesheet omitted conspiracy and other allegations that the ATS had included against Pragya Singh.

Among the crucial witnesses needed to prove the conspiracy, 37 turned hostile. Around 30 witnesses died before giving testimony. Even though several witnesses, including military officers, later retracted their statements in court, no action was taken for giving false evidence. Hemant Karkare, the ATS chief who initially investigated the case and had arrested Pragya Singh and others, was mysteriously killed during the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.