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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday hailed the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court’s verdict in the 2008 Malegaon blast case and said that “terrorism was never saffron and will never be".

Fadnavis posted on X after the special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all the seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and former Army officer Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit in the case. The court said the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

On September 29, 2008, six people were killed and several others injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon City, Nashik. The judgment comes nearly 17 years after the incident.

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The court stated that terrorism has no religion and it cannot convict anyone merely on perception and moral evidence. The court further said that Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) cannot be invoked as sanction was not taken as per rules. The court observed that both the sanction orders of the UAPA in the case were defective.

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Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also welcomed the NIA court verdict, saying that the "truth can never be defeated."

"From the very beginning, Shiv Sena has unequivocally supported the patriots who were falsely accused and imprisoned in the Malegaon blast case. This is because Shiv Sena never had any doubt that their cause was just. Colonel Purohit, Sadhvi Pragya, and the other seven individuals had to endure immense mental and physical torment due to these accusations. The Hindu community will never forget this injustice," Shinde posted on X in Marathi.

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