Victims of the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast have approached the Bombay High Court, challenging the special court’s decision acquitting all accused, including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit.

The appeal, filed by survivor Nisar Ahmed Sayyed Bilal, is listed for hearing before a division bench of Justices Ajay Gadkari and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale on September 15. Other victims – Shaikh Liyaqat Mohiuddin, Shaikh Ishaque Shaikh Yusuf, Usman Khan Ainullah Khan, Mushtaque Shah Haroon Shah, and Shaikh Ibrahim Shaikh Supdo – have also filed appeals through advocate Abdul Mateen Shaikh.

The special court, while acquitting all seven accused, had held that the prosecution failed to prove that the motorcycle used in the explosion belonged to Pragya Thakur. It further reasoned that she had renounced worldly life years before the incident. As for Col. Purohit, the court noted that there was no evidence linking explosives to his residence. The alleged right-wing outfit Abhinav Bharat, said to be founded by Thakur and Purohit, was also not shown to have funded terror activities.

The trial, which began in 2018, concluded in April 2025 and carried heavy political implications. The accused included Thakur, Col. Purohit, Major (retd.) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sameer Kulkarni.

The blast of September 29, 2008, took place near a mosque in Malegaon, about 200 km from Mumbai, killing six people and injuring dozens. The Maharashtra ATS under slain officer Hemant Karkare filed the first chargesheet in 2009 against 12 accused, including Thakur and Purohit. The NIA took over in 2011 and filed its supplementary chargesheet in 2016.

While the ATS had alleged that the accused conspired to avenge and terrorise the Muslim community, and that Thakur’s motorcycle was used in the blast, the NIA later contradicted this. In its chargesheet, the agency gave Thakur a clean chit, accused the ATS of coercing witnesses, and recommended dropping MCOCA charges.

Despite this, the special court had initially refused to discharge Thakur, citing incriminating ATS evidence. However, at the final stage, it acquitted her along with others, holding that no credible evidence established their role.

The case has seen repeated controversies, including the abrupt removal of Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian, who had alleged pressure from the NIA to dilute the case against right-wing accused.