Malegaon Blast Case: Court Rejects Abhinav Bharat's Role, Says It's Not Declared A Terror Outfit

Last Updated:August 02, 2025, 15:56 IST

The prosecution claimed that the accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case were part of the Abhinav Bharat group and carried out the blast in their goal to create a Hindu Rashtra.

Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur were two of the main accused in the Malegaon blasts. (IMAGE: PTI)

Malegaon Blast Case: A special court that acquitted seven persons in the 2008 Malegaon blast case has dismissed the prosecution’s allegations that the right-wing extremist group Abhinav Bharat was responsible for the blast, pointing out that the government has not officially designated the organisation as a terrorist group.

The prosecution had claimed that Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, one of the accused in the case, founded Abhinav Bharat in 2007 with the intention of propagating a separate Hindu Rashtra, with its own constitution, as the members of the outfit were dissatisfied with the Indian Constitution.

The prosecution alleged that all the accused, who were members of the group, were involved in a criminal conspiracy between January and September 2008 to execute a blast in Malegaon with the intent to instil fear among the public, incite communal tensions, and intimidate the government. The group had plans to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra called “Aryawrat".

Court Rejects Abhinav Bharat’s Role

However, the special court on Saturday noted that the prosecution had failed to prove that the Abhinav Bharat Trust was constituted for Hindu Rashtra and was working to change the Constitution of India. It also said that the prosecution could not prove that funds amounting to Rs 21 lakh collected by the Trust were used to purchase arms or carry out illegal activities.

In the over 1,000-page judgment, Special Judge A K Lahoti noted that the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in its investigation claimed that the accused persons were all members of Abhinav Bharat, which was an organised crime syndicate.

The judge said the outfit has not been declared a terrorist organisation to date by the Central government, and “even the Abhinav Bharat Trust or sanstha or sanghatana or foundation is not a banned organisation."

“It is necessary to mention that Abhinav Bharat is not a banned organisation. Till today, it is not a banned organisation under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act," he said.

It further noted that when the Abhinav Bharat Trust was constituted in 2007, it was registered with the Pune Charity Office, and on perusal, the trust deed did not mention anything wrong or illegal in its objectives. As per the trust deed, the objectives of the Abhinav Bharat Trust were to create patriotism and religious activities, which were legal.

The court also said there was no evidence that the accused – Pragya Singh Thakur, Sameer Kulkarni and Sudhakar Chaturvedi – were members of the trust.

The NIA special court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all seven accused, including Pragya Singh Thakur, in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. The case stems from a blast on September 29, 2008, when a bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded near a mosque at Bhikku Chowk in Malegaon, killing six people and injuring 95 others.

Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...Read More

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...

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August 02, 2025, 15:53 IST

News india Malegaon Blast Case: Court Rejects Abhinav Bharat's Role, Says It's Not Declared A Terror Outfit

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