2008 Malegaon Blast Case - Acquittal of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur

On September 29, 2008, a bomb blast in Malegaon, Maharashtra killed six people and injured many. Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a Hindu nationalist ascetic and later BJP parliamentarian, along with Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit and other co-accused were charged with orchestrating the attack. The case was initially probed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad under Hemant Karkare, then transferred to the National Investigation Agency. After prolonged legal proceedings, in 2025 a special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all accused, citing lack of admissible evidence, coerced witnesses, and investigative lapses, bringing the politically sensitive trial to an end.

In 2025, the Special NIA Court acquitted Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Prasad Purohit, and all other co-accused of all charges, including murder, conspiracy, and terror offenses, due to insufficient credible evidence.

The primary dispute centered on whether the prosecution was politically motivated to construct a narrative of “Hindu terror,” with defense alleging fabricated evidence and coerced confessions. The NIA itself undermined the earlier ATS case, declaring key witnesses had been pressured. Critics questioned if the acquittal was influenced by Thakur's political stature, while supporters maintained the charges were always baseless.

The acquittal deepened communal polarization in India, reigniting debates over the selective prosecution of Hindu extremism versus other terror cases. It emboldened right-wing political narratives of victimization while raising serious concerns among liberals about judicial independence and the impartiality of investigating agencies.