Mumbai, Aug.1: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) national general secretary a
nd minority cell chairman Syed Jalaluddin demanded that the state government immediately move the Supreme Court to challenge the acquittal of Sadhavi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit, and five others in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case.
Addressing reporters in Mumbai, Jalaluddin warned that failing to appeal the verdict would create a dangerous perception of double standards, particularly among minority communities, and erode public faith in the justice system. He reminded that the Fadnavis-led BJP government had once rushed to the Supreme Court against the acquittal of Muslim youths in the 2006 Mumbai train blast case, and the same urgency is expected now to uphold equality before law and the supremacy of the Constitution.
The Malegaon blast took place on September 29, 2008, when a motorcycle bomb exploded near Bhikku Chowk, close to a mosque in the Muslim-majority town of Malegaon. The explosion killed six people and injured more than one hundred, spreading fear and outrage. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad initially led the investigation before the case was handed to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Investigators arrested Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit, and other alleged members of the Hindu nationalist group Abhinav Bharat, claiming that a motorbike registered to Sadhvi Pragya had been used to plant the explosives.
After a 17‑year legal battle, the special NIA court in Mumbai on July 31, 2025 acquitted all seven accused, citing lack of conclusive forensic evidence, contradictory witness statements, and procedural lapses including sanction issues under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The court stressed that terrorism has no religion but ruled that convictions cannot be based on suspicion or incomplete evidence.
Jalaluddin said the state must file a petition in the Supreme Court without delay and even seek an immediate stay on the acquittal. He emphasized that the government’s role is to respect all faiths and uphold equality, adding that any impression of bias towards one community and hostility towards another could weaken the secular fabric of Indian democracy. He also urged Congress leaders, including Mumbai MP Varsha Gaikwad, to speak as strongly on this verdict as they did during the Mumbai train blast acquittals, warning that secular credibility is at stake.
The acquittal has caused shock and disappointment among the victims’ families, minorities, and secular citizens, many of whom feel that selective justice undermines confidence in the system. Jalaluddin invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”, insisting that the principle of equality before law must be visible in action, not just in words.
The Maharashtra government has said it is studying the 1,000‑page NIA court judgment before making a decision on an appeal. But with political pressure mounting and the Malegaon victims’ families demanding justice, the next step by the government will be closely watched as a test of whether terrorism cases are pursued with the same urgency, irrespective of religion.