A NIA special court in Mumbai on Thursday (July 31) acquitted all seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, almost 17 years after a powerful blast rocked Maharashtra's communally sensitive Malegaon town, leaving six people killed and over 100 injured.

What did the court say?

While delivering the verdict, Special Judge AK Lahoti said:

The prosecution failed to establish that the bomb was planted on the motorcycle.

It's possible the explosive device was placed elsewhere.

There is no concrete evidence that RDX was transported or brought from Kashmir.

The investigation could not determine who parked the motorcycle or how it got there.

During the investigation of the site, a key stone near the blast site was not seized, likely due to the chaos after the incident.

Fingerprint samples were not collected at the scene.

The gathered evidence might have been compromised or contaminated.

Although the bike's chassis was not tampered with, it was also not properly restored for investigation.

While Sadhvi Pragya is the registered owner of the motorcycle, there is no proof it was under her possession at the time of the blast.

The prosecution also could not prove any conspiracy meetings took place.

Witness statements were inconsistent and lacked clarity.

The judge emphasized that no religion advocates terrorism.

There is no evidence showing that Col. Purohit manufactured the bomb or that Sadhvi Pragya's bike was used in the Malegaon explosion.