In a significant development, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has scheduled May 8 as the date to announce its verdict in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. This decision comes after the conclusion of the hearings, with the prosecution presenting its final written arguments on April 19.
The Malegaon incident, which occurred on September 29, 2008, involved an explosive device attached to a motorcycle that detonated near a mosque in Malegaon, a town approximately 200 km from Mumbai. The attack resulted in the deaths of six individuals and injuries to over 100 others.
The trial has seen extensive testimonies, with 323 prosecution witnesses examined, although 34 of these witnesses later turned hostile. The accused in the case include Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit, BJP leader Pragya Thakur, Major Ramesh Upadhyay (retired), Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sameer Kulkarni. They are facing charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including charges related to committing and conspiring to commit terrorist acts, murder, attempt to murder, causing hurt, and promoting enmity between religious groups.
Initially handled by the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), the investigation was transferred to the NIA in 2011. In 2016, the NIA submitted a chargesheet which controversially cleared Thakur and three others—Shyam Sahu, Praveen Takalki, and Shivnarayan Kalsangra—citing insufficient evidence against them. While the NIA court discharged Sahu, Kalsangra, and Takalki, it ruled that Thakur would still need to stand trial.
