Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 31 (HBTV): Mumbai's NIA special court on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, stating that the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond reasonable doubt. The court also directed the Maharashtra government to award INR 2 lakh as compensation to the families of the victims and INR 50,000 to the injured.

A total of seven individuals were accused, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi (also known as Shankaracharya), and Sameer Kulkarni.

'All bail bonds of the accused are cancelled and sureties are discharged,' the NIA special court stated.

The court examined 323 prosecution witnesses and eight defence witnesses before delivering the verdict. All seven accused were acquitted of charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act, and other related charges.

'The prosecution proved that a blast occurred in Malegaon but failed to prove that the bomb was placed in that motorcycle,' Judge Abhay Lohati said.

The court also observed manipulation in medical records. 'The court has come to the conclusion that the number of injured people was not 101 but 95, and there was manipulation in some medical certificates,' it said.

Addressing the allegations involving Prasad Purohit, another accused, the court noted: 'There is no evidence of storing or assembling explosives at Purohit’s residence.'

The court also pointed out lapses in the investigation. 'No sketch of the spot was prepared by the investigating officer during the panchnama. No fingerprints, dump data, or any other forensic evidence was collected from the spot. The samples were contaminated, so the reports cannot be considered conclusive or reliable,' it stated.

Regarding the alleged role of the Abhinav Bharat organisation, the court said there was no evidence suggesting that the group's funds were used for terror-related activities.

On September 29, 2008, six people were killed and 95 others injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque at Bhikku Chowk in Malegaon city. Originally, 11 people were named as accused in the case, but the court ultimately framed charges against seven, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya.

(ANI)