Owaisi Lashes Out at Malegaon Verdict, Says “Justice Denied” to Blast Victims


Hyderabad (Same Day): All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has slammed the verdict in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, calling it “deeply disappointing” and accusing the investigative agencies of deliberately weakening the case to protect the accused.

The special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused, including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, citing lack of credible evidence. The blast, which occurred in a Muslim-dominated area of Malegaon in Maharashtra, claimed six lives and injured over 100 people.

“The victims were Namazis. They were targeted because of their faith,” Mr. Owaisi said in a statement posted on social media. “Seventeen years later, we are told there is no evidence. Who killed those six people? Why was the investigation so weak?”

The MP raised pointed questions about political interference and selective prosecution, comparing the Malegaon case to the Mumbai train blasts of 2006, where the government had swiftly appealed the acquittals. “Will the Modi and Fadnavis governments appeal this verdict with the same urgency?” he asked.

Mr. Owaisi also cited a 2016 statement by former special public prosecutor Rohini Salian, who had alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) instructed her to “go soft” on the accused after a change in government. “In 2017, NIA even tried to get Sadhvi Pragya acquitted. That same person went on to become a Member of Parliament,” he added.

He also recalled the role of then Maharashtra ATS Chief Hemant Karkare, who was investigating the Malegaon case before being killed during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. “Karkare had uncovered the conspiracy. But instead of being honoured, his name was dragged into politics. A BJP MP even claimed that Karkare died because she cursed him. This is the level we’ve reached,” he said.

Owaisi questioned whether the NIA and ATS officers who led the flawed investigation would ever be held accountable. “This is the so-called ‘tough on terror’ government. The world will remember that it made a terror and accused an MP,” he said.

While the verdict has brought legal relief to the accused, it has reignited political debate over the handling of terror cases and the influence of ideology on the justice system.

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