'I Have Always Worked for the Army and Will Continue to Do So, Some Institutions Fall Ill, Get Corrupted': Col Purohit After Acquittal in 2008 Malegaon Blast Case

New Delhi: Seventeen years after being arrested in connection with the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast, Lt Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit was acquitted along with six others by a special NIA court in Mumbai on Wednesday. Following the verdict, Col Purohit addressed the court and said, “I thank you for giving me a chance to serve my nation and my organisation with the same conviction which I was doing before me being framed in this matter.” In an emotionally restrained yet pointed statement, he added, “I don’t blame any organisation for all this. Organisations like investigating agencies are not wrong, but people inside the organisations are the ones who have done wrong.”   

Purohit continued, “I have always worked for the Army and will continue to do so. I don’t blame anyone. Sometimes, some institutions, investigative agencies fall ill. They get corrupted. Some individuals have misused the law.” His words came moments after Judge A.K. Lahoti pronounced that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges against any of the seven accused in the case that had become one of the most politically sensitive and legally complex in India’s recent history.

Court Cites Glaring Lapses in Evidence Collection

In its judgment, the court stated that while it was proven a bomb blast had indeed occurred in Malegaon on the night of September 29, 2008, killing six people and injuring over 90, the prosecution failed to prove that a bomb was planted in the motorcycle allegedly linked to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. The court noted that the bike did not have a clear chassis number, and there was no reliable data to prove that it was in Sadhvi’s possession immediately before the explosion. It further observed that the prosecution had claimed 101 injuries, but the actual number of injured persons was only 95, citing manipulation in some medical certificates. 

The court said that samples sent for forensic analysis were contaminated, making the reports inconclusive and unreliable. It added that evidence was not collected by experts at the scene, and that no fingerprint, dump data, or any other forensic material was retrieved from the spot. Additionally, the court remarked that there was no sketch made of the location during the panchnama, and no credible evidence was found to suggest that explosives were stored or assembled at Purohit’s residence.

The verdict also pointed out that the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) could not be invoked in the case, as the necessary sanction was not obtained as per rules. Both sanction orders related to UAPA were found to be defective. Importantly, the court acknowledged that there was a vast difference between the chargesheets filed by the Maharashtra ATS and those later filed by the NIA, which took over the case in 2011. In conclusion, the court stated that the prosecution had failed to prove who planted the bomb and whether it had been placed in the motorcycle in the first place.

Sadhvi Breaks Down in Court, Says 'Bhagwa Has Won' 

As the verdict was read, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was seen in tears inside the courtroom. She later told the court, “I was tortured for 13 days. I was living a life of renunciation, and yet we were branded as terrorists.” She continued, “Even those who wronged us while being part of the system, I cannot speak against them. Today, your verdict has brought me peace. You understood my pain and suffering.” Calling it not just a personal but a symbolic victory, she said, “This is not my personal victory but a victory of the saffron. It is a triumph of Hindutva.” She also declared, “Those who spoke of Hindu terrorism will face punishment. They defamed Bhagwa through a conspiracy. Today, Bhagwa has won, Hindutva has won, and God will punish those who are guilty.” 

The blast, which took place near Bhikku Chowk in Malegaon, a communally sensitive town in Maharashtra, had triggered panic and violence in its immediate aftermath. Initial investigations by the Maharashtra ATS led to high-profile arrests, including that of Sadhvi Pragya and Col Purohit. Over the years, the case became the focal point of intense legal and political debate, with allegations of fabricated evidence, custodial torture, and misuse of anti-terror laws.

With today’s acquittal, one of India’s longest and most debated terror trials has drawn to a close, raising questions about investigative lapses, legal accountability, and the toll such cases take on the lives of those involved.