In a landmark judgment delivered on July 31, 2025, a special NIA court acquitted all seven accused—including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit—in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, citing lack of credible evidence after a nearly 17-year-long trial. The catastrophic blast on September 29, 2008, had killed six and injured over 100 in the Muslim-majority Malegaon town. The court criticized significant flaws in the investigation, highlighting erased evidence, ownership doubts over the motorcycle allegedly used in the attack, and questioning the application of UAPA. Multiple witnesses and even some accused asserted in court and media that confessions and testimonies were obtained under duress, with several claiming they were pressured to implicate high-profile leaders like PM Modi, Yogi Adityanath, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Retired officers have since alleged they were directed to arrest and frame top RSS functionaries to bolster a narrative of “Hindu terrorism,” while numerous witnesses turned hostile during the extended legal proceedings. Former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan stated that if “terrorism” is attributed, it should not be religiously branded, igniting political debate. Meanwhile, NCP and other political leaders have demanded the Maharashtra government challenge the acquittal. The verdict, delivered after scrutiny of over 100,000 pages of evidence and testimony from 323 witnesses, also ordered compensation for victims’ families and raised enduring questions about investigative integrity and the dangers of politicizing terror investigations.In a landmark judgment delivered on July 31, 2025, a special NIA court acquitted all seven accused—including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit—in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, citing lack of credible evidence after a nearly 17-year-long trial. The catastrophic blast on September 29, 2008, had killed six and injured over 100 in the Muslim-majority Malegaon town. The court criticized significant flaws in the investigation, highlighting erased evidence, ownership doubts over the motorcycle allegedly used in the attack, and questioning the application of UAPA. Multiple witnesses and even some accused asserted in court and media that confessions and testimonies were obtained under duress, with several claiming they were pressured to implicate high-profile leaders like PM Modi, Yogi Adityanath, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Retired officers have since alleged they were directed to arrest and frame top RSS functionaries to bolster a narrative of “Hindu terrorism,” while numerous witnesses turned hostile during the extended legal proceedings.While Former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan stirred controversy by renewing attempt to create a narrative about “Hindu Terrorism”, NCP and other political leaders have demanded the Maharashtra government challenge the acquittal. The verdict, delivered after scrutiny of over 100,000 pages of evidence and testimony from 323 witnesses, also ordered compensation for victims’ families and raised enduring questions about investigative integrity and the dangers of politicizing terror investigations.