The Bombay High Court has issued notices to BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, serving Army officer Lt Col Prasad Purohit, and five others recently acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. The notices were issued in response to an appeal filed by victims challenging their acquittal.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad also directed issuance of notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Meanwhile, the Additional Public Prosecutors representing Maharashtra waived notice on behalf of the state’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
Advocate Mateen Shaikh, appearing for the victims, argued that at least four of the six appellants had previously been examined as witnesses during the trial and were thus entitled to challenge the verdict. He also noted that the first appellant had been an active participant in earlier proceedings before the trial court, High Court, and Supreme Court.
However, the bench questioned the maintainability of the appeal, asking, “Do you have any judgement that you fall under the definition of ‘victim’?” Shaikh cited legal precedents and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS), but the court clarified that the new law does not apply to incidents that occurred before it came into force. Shaikh countered by referring to definitions under the Indian Penal Code.
After reviewing the documents, the court acknowledged that the appellants — who include the father, brother, son, and father-in-law of victims — had challenged the trial court’s verdict dated July 31, 2025, which acquitted all accused.
The bench noted that the addresses of the acquitted individuals span several states, including Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand. Shaikh assured the court that all necessary address details were documented in the trial court judgment and that notices would be duly served. The court granted two weeks for the service of notices and adjourned the hearing for six weeks.
Notably, neither the ATS nor the NIA has filed an appeal against the trial court’s decision. The case had drawn national attention due to its alleged links to “Hindu terror” — a phrase that spurred significant political debate. The current state administration had publicly welcomed the verdict.
The blast occurred on September 29, 2008, when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon, around 200 km from Mumbai. The ATS had claimed the motorcycle was owned by Sadhvi Pragya and that Purohit had procured RDX during his deployment in Kashmir. However, the trial court found that the chassis number of the motorcycle was tampered with during investigation, and no substantial evidence supported the claims regarding Purohit’s role in obtaining RDX.
