Malegaon Blast Case: No RDX Or Explosive Found At Home Of Lt Col Purohit, Court Noted

Last Updated:August 02, 2025, 18:05 IST

Consequently, this core narrative presented by the prosecution regarding his alleged involvement with RDX did not stand up in court

Purohit, who was reinstated in the Army pending trial, said the truth has finally come out. (Image: PTI)

The NIA special court noted the absence of RDX or any explosive material from the residence of accused A-9, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, a copy of the order seen by CNN-News18 reveals. The finding contradicted the prosecution’s central allegation that Purohit had hidden RDX in a wooden cupboard at his house and assembled the bomb there.

The court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all seven accused. 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.

The court meticulously reviewed the search operations conducted at Purohit’s Delhi residence. It was revealed that the house underwent two distinct searches. The first search, carried out on November 12, 2008, by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), yielded only two compact discs (CDs), with no explosive or suspicious material found. A subsequent search was conducted on November 26, 2008, specifically prompted by suspicions that Purohit had concealed RDX and assembled the bomb within his premises. For this second search, a specialised team from the Forensic Science Lab (FSL) of Pune was called in.

The FSL team diligently collected various samples from the house for laboratory testing. Crucially, their investigation report unequivocally stated that no traces of RDX were detected. Furthermore, the report confirmed the absence of any detonator, wire, clock, or any other component commonly used in bomb making. Although the Assistant Chemical Analyst who provided this report was not produced as a witness by the prosecution, the court deemed the report valid under Section 293 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), emphasising that it clearly indicated the non-discovery of any incriminating or explosive material during the search operations.

Reinforcing these findings, prosecution witness PW-309 also testified, stating unambiguously that accused A-9 did not provide any arms or ammunition, nor did the witness ever see RDX at Purohit’s house. It was also noted that Purohit himself never admitted to supplying RDX.

Based on these crucial pieces of evidence and testimonies, the court concluded that there was nothing on record to substantiate the prosecution’s claim that Purohit had kept RDX in his house or was involved in assembling the bomb. The court explicitly stated that the prosecution had failed to prove the allegations levelled against A-9 regarding the RDX. In its final summation on this point, the court declared that assuming Purohit brought RDX from Jammu and Kashmir, hid it, and made the bomb was “completely based on conjecture" due to the stark lack of concrete evidence. Consequently, this core narrative presented by the prosecution regarding A-9’s alleged involvement with RDX did not stand up in court.

Yesha Kotak

Yesha Kotak, Special Correspondent, CNN-News18, specialises in crime, court and investigative reporting. She describes herself as a print reporter in TV. With six years of experience in journalism, she has been...Read More

Yesha Kotak, Special Correspondent, CNN-News18, specialises in crime, court and investigative reporting. She describes herself as a print reporter in TV. With six years of experience in journalism, she has been...

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August 02, 2025, 18:05 IST

News india Malegaon Blast Case: No RDX Or Explosive Found At Home Of Lt Col Purohit, Court Noted

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