Malegaon Blast Verdict Leaves Victims’ Families Shattered as NIA Court Acquits All Accused

Mumbai: In a verdict that has rekindled grief and stirred deep emotions, the special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, bringing an end to a 17-year-long legal battle. While the decision has legally closed one of India’s most sensitive terror cases, it has reopened wounds for many families who lost loved ones in the blast.

The acquitted include former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt. Colonel Prasad Purohit, both once at the center of intense national debate over allegations of “saffron terror.” The court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove that the bomb was planted by the accused. It further noted discrepancies in medical documents and downgraded the number of confirmed injuries to 95 from the earlier claim of 101, citing evidence manipulation.

The court observed that witness statements lacked consistency, failed to corroborate the sequence of events, and did not establish a direct link between the accused and the use of RDX in the blast. Additionally, the application of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was deemed inapplicable due to procedural lapses in obtaining government sanction.

A Verdict That Crushed Hopes

For families of the victims, the judgment came as a devastating blow.

Nisar Bilal, 75, lost his 19-year-old son Azhar, a Quran student who dreamed of becoming a fridge mechanic. Azhar died on the spot when the bomb exploded near Bhikku Chowk, killing six people and injuring over a hundred on September 29, 2008. Despite being hearing impaired, Nisar attended court hearings regularly for years, clinging to the hope of justice. Now, he says, “I don’t know if I will ever find peace. My son died, and those who were blamed are now walking free.”

Liyakat Shaikh, 67, lost his 10-year-old daughter Farheen, the youngest victim of the tragedy. He became a familiar face at protests and memorial events, always carrying a photograph of his daughter. “It feels like she died again today,” he said after the verdict. “The court may have closed the file, but our sorrow lives on.”

Rehan Shaikh, now 38, lost his father, who had stepped out for a snack and never returned. Rehan was a teenager at the time and had to abandon school to support his family. “The blast didn’t just kill my father. It killed my childhood, my future,” he said. “And now, it feels like justice died too.”

The family of Irfan Khan, a 23-year-old auto driver who succumbed to his injuries two days after the blast, expressed similar heartbreak. His uncle, Usman Khan, said, “Seventeen years we waited, hoping for accountability. This verdict has shattered that hope.”

Even the family of the oldest victim, 60-year-old Harun Shah, has not found closure. His grandson Aamin recalled caring for his grandfather in his final hours. “We lived through his pain, and for what? There’s no justice, no closure — only silence.”