TNI Bureau: 17 years after the 2008 Malegaon blast killed six and injured over hundred, a special court in Maharashtra on Thursday delivered its verdict, acquitting all seven accused, including former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit. The court held that the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt and stated, “Terrorism has no religion, but conviction cannot be based on moral grounds.”

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) continues its hunt for two absconding accused, Sandeep Dange and Ram Kalsangra, alleged to have planted the bomb. Both have remained untraceable for years, with claims of sightings in Nepal and even a controversial affidavit suggesting they may be dead.

Others acquitted include Major (Retd.) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi alias Shankaracharya, and Sameer Kulkarni. The blast occurred on September 29, 2008, during Ramzan, outside a shop in Malegaon’s Bhiku Chowk.