The holy month of Ramadan was in full swing in the bustling city of Malegaon, located in the Nashik district of Maharashtra. On that fateful night, at 9:35 PM, as worshippers gathered and the market thrived with activity, a powerful blast shattered the calm in front of a mosque near Anjuman Chowk. The explosion originated from an LML Freedom motorcycle, reportedly rigged with a bomb.
The sudden explosion instilled fear across the area, wreaking havoc as nearby shops and buildings sustained damage. Chaos ensued, leaving six individuals tragically dead.
The victims were Farheen alias Shagufta Shaikh Liaqat, Shaikh Mushtaq Yusuf, Shaikh Rafiq Mustafa, Irfan Ziaullah Khan, Syed Azhar Syed Nisar, and Haroon Shah Mohammed Shah. This catastrophic event also resulted in injuries to 101 people.
Seventeen years later, the courts have freed all seven accused due to insufficient evidence, stating that the investigative agency failed to substantiate the charges.
September 29, 2008, resonates as the day that shook not only Malegaon but also the political landscape of Maharashtra. Cases were lodged at the Azad Nagar police station on September 30, 2008, but due to the sensitivity, they were transferred to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
As investigations progressed, the name of the 'Abhinav Bharat' organization emerged in the ATS probe.
On October 23, 2008, the agency apprehended Pragya Singh Thakur, Shivanarayan Kalasangara, and Shyam Bhavarlal Sahu, asserting the motorcycle was registered to Pragya.
Colonel Prasad Purohit was also detained, accused of sourcing RDX from Kashmir. Following these arrests, Swami Aseemanand was likewise apprehended.
On December 27, 2008, a witness purportedly claimed to ATS involvement in two significant meetings of the accused, one in January 2008, in Bhopal, and another in New Delhi in April of the same year.
According to ATS, these meetings conducted by Abhinav Bharat members were crucial in planning the attack.
By November 2008, a total of 11 arrests were made in the case, with charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) applied.
In July 2010, the Bombay High Court upheld MCOCA charges against all defendants.
In 2013, the NIA filed a charge sheet accusing Abhinav Bharat organization members of conspiring to incite religious discord.
On April 15, 2015, the Supreme Court overturned the Bombay High Court's decision, removing MCOCA charges.
On April 25, 2017, the Bombay High Court conditionally granted bail to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.
The trial commenced in December 2018. Out of 323 witnesses, 40 turned hostile.
During the trial, ATS faced allegations of coercing statements. Sadhvi Pragya accused then ATS Chief Hemant Karkare of harassment.
The court reserved its judgment following the conclusion of all arguments.
The court cleared Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi, and Sameer Kulkarni, acknowledging the prosecution’s failure to prove the bomb's presence on the motorcycle.
