All seven accused acquitted in 2008 Malegaon blast case by NIA court
The court dropped all charges against the accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Arms Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), citing a lack of sufficient evidence.
The blast occurred on September 29, 2008, when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded near the Bhikku Chowk mosque in Malegaon city of Nashik district, Maharashtra. The explosion, which took place during the holy month of Ramzan and just days before the Hindu festival of Navratri, claimed six lives and injured over 100 people in the communally sensitive town.
After nearly 17 years of legal proceedings, the verdict was delivered in a packed courtroom with all the accused present, as directed earlier by the court. The court also ordered compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the families of each of the six deceased and Rs 50,000 for every injured victim.
The trial saw a prolonged legal process involving a voluminous case file exceeding one lakh pages.
Hearings concluded in April this year, and the court had reserved its judgment on April 19. Given the scale and complexity of the case, the court took additional time to scrutinise all the material before announcing its verdict.
Throughout the trial, the prosecution examined 323 witnesses, though 34 of them turned hostile, significantly weakening the prosecution's case.
Initially, the investigation was conducted by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which arrested the accused and filed the first charge sheet. However, in 2011, the probe was transferred to the NIA.
In 2016, the NIA filed a supplementary charge sheet dropping charges against several accused, including Sadhvi Pragya, citing insufficient evidence to prosecute them under stringent anti-terror laws.
All accused were out on bail during the trial. They were facing serious charges, including conspiracy, murder, and use of explosives under UAPA and IPC provisions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
11 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Rape-accused man out on bail shoots woman, arrested
Two persons – a convict out on an interim bail in a rape case and his associate – were arrested for allegedly shooting a woman on Wednesday in south west Delhi's Vasant Vihar, said police on Saturday. Police officials also confirmed that the victim had named the main accused, Abuzair Safi, 30, in a rape case in 2024. The Police have also arrested his associate, Aman Sukhla, and seized a two-wheeler and recovered a country-made pistol. Based on the victim's statement, a case was registered at Vasant Vihar police station under Sections 109(1) (attempted murder) and 3(5) (common intent) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant Sections of the Arms Act. Safi, who shot the woman while she was in an auto-rickshaw, was granted interim bail last month. Police arrived at the scene on Poorvi Marg after receiving a call around 9.50 p.m. on Wednesday. The auto-rickshaw driver, Ranjeet Yadav, informed the police that the woman was shot and was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre. 'The victim, found conscious and medically fit, stated that while she was speaking on the phone, two persons on a black motorcycle approached from behind. One of them, Safi, who was driving, fired a shot that struck her in the chest,' Deputy Commissioner of Police (South West) Amit Goel said. Through technical surveillance and CCTV footage analysis, the police identified the accused and arrested Sukhla on Thursday. A day later, on August 1, Safi was taken into custody.
The Hindu
11 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Govt. to table private school fee Bill in Monsoon Session: CM
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday said the Delhi government will table a Bill to regulate fee hikes by private schools during the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Assembly, beginning August 4. Amid ongoing protests by parents, the Delhi government had earlier approved a draft of the Bill and proposed bringing an Ordinance, since the Assembly was not in session. Now, it has decided to table the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025. 'The Delhi government will table the Bill to regulate fee hikes by private schools in the Monsoon Session of Assembly beginning from August 4,' Ms. Gupta said while addressing the media. The parents' groups, while pointing out issues in the Bill, said that they will send their detailed suggestions to the government on Sunday. Three-level checks A three-level verification will be implemented to regulate fee hikes, according to the Bill seen by The Hindu. First, schools will form an 11-member committee comprising the school management – a management representative and principal – three teachers, five parents from the parent-teacher association, selected by a draw of lots, and a nominee of the Directorate of Education (DoE). A District Fee Appellate Committee will hear appeals against the decisions taken by school-level committees. A similar procedure will be followed with a State-level revision committee, which will be the highest appellate authority. An aggrieved parents' group, which the Bill describes as 15% of the total strength of parents in an affected school, may appeal to the District Fee Appellate Committee within 30 days from the time the fees are approved, against the decisions of school-level committees. The Bill also specifies that if a school is found levying a fee that is not determined in the provisions of the Act, the DoE will direct the school to roll back the fee and refund the excess amount to the parents. The penalty for violators can range between ₹1 lakh and ₹10 lakh. Meanwhile, a fine of ₹50,000 will be levied on schools for harassing students over delayed payment of fees. The Bill also mentions the 10 factors that will determine the fee structure, including the location of the school, infrastructure made available, the education standardof schools, and a reasonable revenue surplus as may be prescribed. Divya Mattey, a parent of a student who studies in Delhi Public School, Dwarka, said, 'It will be difficult to get a minimum of 15% of the parent body to raise a question.' Mr. Mattey said that parents have noted that the penalties might not affect bigger schools, for whom '₹50,000 might be a small amount'. AAP, BJP at odds Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi State president Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the Bill, saying, 'Until now, even under the 1973 law, if a single parent felt that fees had been unfairly hiked, they could file a complaint with the DoE. Now, that has been scrapped. Under the new law, you'll need a minimum of 15% of parents to raise a complaint. In a school with 3,000 students, that means identifying 450 parents – a near-impossible task.' Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said, 'It would have been better if Saurabh Bharadwaj had waited until the Bill was tabled in the upcoming session before commenting on it.'
NDTV
29 minutes ago
- NDTV
Bhupesh Baghel, Son Move Supreme Court Over CBI, Probe Agency Role In Liquor Case
New Delhi: Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and his son Chaitanya Baghel have approached the Supreme Court, seeking the legal authority and jurisdiction of central investigative agencies-the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED)-in probing alleged irregularities linked to the multi-crore liquor scam in the state. The petition, according to reports, filed amid escalating political tensions, seeks clarity on whether the agencies have overstepped their mandate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and other statutes. The matter is scheduled for hearing on Monday before a bench comprising Justice Suryakant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The move comes days after Chaitanya Baghel was arrested by the ED in connection with a Rs 2,160 crore liquor scam that allegedly operated during Bhupesh Baghel's tenure as Chief Minister. The ED claims that a parallel liquor distribution network siphoned off massive sums through unaccounted sales and illegal commissions, implicating several political and bureaucratic figures. Bhupesh Baghel has publicly denounced the arrest and subsequent raids at his Bhilai residence, calling them politically motivated and designed to suppress dissent. "The ED is being used as a tool to target opposition leaders," Baghel said, alleging that the timing of the arrest-on his son's birthday-was symbolic of the Centre's vendetta politics. The Congress party has backed Baghel's stance, staging protests across Raipur, Jagdalpur, and other districts, accusing the BJP-led Centre of weaponising investigative agencies to intimidate political opponents. Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on July 18, 2025, which was also his birthday. The arrest was part of an ongoing investigation into a Rs 2,160 crore liquor scam allegedly involving a nexus of politicians, bureaucrats, and liquor contractors operating during Bhupesh Baghel's tenure. ED officials conducted raids at the Baghel family residence in Bhilai, Durg district, early in the morning on July 18. Chaitanya was taken into custody under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED cited non-cooperation during the search as grounds for immediate arrest. Bhupesh Baghel publicly condemned the timing, calling it a "birthday gift" from the Central government and alleging political vendetta. The first ED raid at Bhupesh Baghel's Bhilai residence occurred on March 10, 2025. Baghel claimed that this earlier raid was timed to prevent him from participating in the state budget session, alleging that it was politically motivated and aimed at silencing opposition voices. Between the March raid and the July arrest, Baghel stated that no formal notice or inquiry was issued to his son, raising questions about procedural fairness. The ED alleges that Chaitanya Baghel received Rs 16.70 crore in illicit funds and played a key role in laundering over Rs 1,000 crore through real estate and other channels. The case has since become a flashpoint in the broader debate over the use of central agencies against opposition leaders.
