Special Court set to rule on 2008 Malegaon Bombing Thursday
The 2008 blast, occurring on September 29 during the holy month of Ramzan and coinciding with the Navratri festival eve, claimed six lives and left 100 others injured in the Muslim-majority town in Maharashtra's Nashik district.
The protracted legal journey reaches a pivotal moment after the court reserved its orders on April 19. While initially directing the seven accused to appear on May 8 for the judgement, the pronouncement was subsequently rescheduled for July 31.
The complex investigation saw initial handling by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), led by the late Special Inspector General Hemant Karkare, who was later killed during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The ATS filed its chargesheet in 2009.
However, the case was in 2011 transferred to the NIA, which submitted a supplementary chargesheet in 2016. Although the NIA largely concurred with the ATS's findings, it differed on specific aspects, notably recommending the dropping of stringent charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), a recommendation the court accepted.
The trial, conducted by the special court in Mumbai, proceeded under charges framed on October 30, 2018. The seven accused face prosecution under critical sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), including Sections 16 (committing a terrorist act) and 18 (conspiring to commit a terrorist act), alongside various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC): 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 153(a) (promoting enmity between different religious groups).
The accused standing trial are former BJP Member of Parliament Pragya Singh Thakur, retired Military Intelligence official Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sameer Kulkarni, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi.
The prosecution presented a total of 323 witnesses during the lengthy trial. However, the proceedings were marked by the significant challenge of 34 witnesses turning hostile.
The hearing of evidence concluded in September 2023, paving the way for the long-awaited verdict scheduled for this week. UNI AAA SSP
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