Mumbai, 31 July

A special court here on Thursday acquitted all the seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, in the September 2008 Malegaon blast case in which six persons were killed and 101 others injured.

Special Judge A K Lahoti, assigned to hear cases of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), flagged several loopholes in the prosecution's case and the investigation carried out, and said the accused persons deserved the benefit of doubt.

Six persons were killed and more than 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in the Malegaon town, located about 200 km from Mumbai, on 29 September, 2008.

The judge, while reading out the judgment, said there was no "reliable and cogent" evidence to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.

The provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were not applicable to the case, the court said.

The court also said it was not established that the motorbike used in the blast was registered in the name of Thakur, as claimed by the prosecution.

It has also not been established that the blast was carried out by the bomb allegedly planted on the bike, the court said.

Earlier in the morning, the seven accused, all out on bail, arrived at the sessions court in south Mumbai which was barricaded with heavy security.

The accused in the case comprised Thakur, Purohit, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni.

They all were charged for committing a terrorist act under provisions of the UAPA and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.

The prosecution's claim was that the blast was orchestrated by right wing extremists with an intention to terrorise the local Muslim community.