A court in India has acquitted all seven accused in a deadly bombing that struck a Muslim-majority town in Maharashtra state nearly 17 years ago. At least six people were killed and nearly a hundred injured in the blasts that hit Malegaon in September 2008. Among the seven acquitted are Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a former MP of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and a serviceman, Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit. According to legal portal Live Law, the judge noted that the prosecution failed to prove the motorbike that allegedly triggered the blasts belonged to Thakur. The court also observed that while the prosecution had proven a bomb blast did occur, it failed to establish that the explosive was planted on the motorbike. Regarding Purohit - who was accused of raising funds to purchase explosives for a right-wing outfit and organising meetings to plan the attack - the court said there was "no evidence of storing or assembling the explosives at Shrikant Prasad Purohit's residence," according to the verdict cited by news agency ANI. The special court in Mumbai cleared the accused of all charges, including under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act - an anti-terror law. "Terrorism has no religion because no religion can advocate violence. The court cannot convict anyone merely on perception and moral evidence; there has to be cogent evidence," ANI reported, quoting the verdict. Lawyers of the victims' families said they will challenge the acquittal in the High Court and file an appeal independently. The case was initially handled by Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) before being transferred to India's premier counter-terror agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), in 2011. The politically important case was one of the first major instances where right-wing Hindu nationalist groups were directly accused of militant activity. Over the years, the case saw several twists and turns. More than 300 witnesses were examined during the trial, with at least 34 later turning hostile. In 2016, NIA filed a chargesheet and said they could not find sufficient evidence against Thakur and three others. It recommended dropping charges against them. While the court acquitted the three, it ordered that Thakur must still stand trial. In 2018, an NIA special court formally framed charges against the remaining seven accused under the anti-terror law, charges of criminal conspiracy, murder and promoting enmity between religious groups. The verdict, initially expected in May, was postponed after the judge ordered all accused to be present in court. — BBC
