A Special NIA court in Mumbai on Thursday stated that it is likely to pronounce its judgment in the 2008 Malegaon blast case on July 31, nearly 17 years after the deadly explosion that shook the town of Malegaon in Maharashtra.
The court had earlier reserved its verdict for May 8. However, Special Judge A.K. Lahoti informed the accused present in court that due to the voluminous documents in the matter, more time was required to finalize the judgment. The judge directed all accused to remain present on the next scheduled date, July 31.
The case pertains to a blast on September 29, 2008, when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon, located approximately 200 kilometers from Mumbai. The explosion claimed the lives of six people and injured over 100 others.
The prosecution examined 323 witnesses during the trial, of whom 34 turned hostile. The list of accused includes high-profile individuals such as Lt Col Prasad Purohit, BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, Major (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sameer Kulkarni.
They are facing trial under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The investigation was initially handled by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) but was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2011.
