Hyderabad, July 31 (NationPress) AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has described the verdict from the NIA court, which acquitted all defendants in the Malegaon blast case, as ‘disappointing’. He questioned whether the Centre and Maharashtra government would seek a stay, similar to their actions in the Mumbai train blasts case.

In a post shared on the social media platform ‘X’, the Hyderabad MP asserted that a poorly conducted investigation resulted in the acquittal of the accused in the Malegaon blast case.

“The verdict in the Malegaon blast case is disheartening. Six namazis lost their lives in the blast, and nearly 100 sustained injuries. They were targeted based on their religion. A deliberately subpar investigation/prosecution is to blame for this acquittal,” Owaisi remarked.

“Seventeen years post-blast, the court has acquitted all accused due to insufficient evidence. Will the Modi and Fadnavis governments appeal the ruling as they promptly sought a stay in the Mumbai train blasts acquittals? Will Maharashtra’s so-called ‘secular’ political parties demand accountability? Who is responsible for the deaths of the six individuals?” the MP queried.

He recounted that in 2016, the then-prosecutor in the case, Rohini Salian, publicly stated that the NIA had instructed her to “go easy” on the accused. “Remember, in 2017, the NIA attempted to secure an acquittal for Sadhvi Pragya, who later became a BJP MP in 2019,” he added.

Owaisi also referenced Hemant Karkare, the former chief of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad, who uncovered the conspiracy behind the Malegaon case and was tragically killed by Pakistani terrorists during the 26/11 attacks. “A BJP MP even publicly stated she had cursed him, claiming his death was a result of that curse,” Owaisi wrote.

The MP questioned whether NIA/ATS officers should be held responsible for their faulty investigation. “I believe we all know the answer. This is the ‘tough on terror’ Modi government, which the world will remember for making a terror accused a Member of Parliament.”

Earlier that day, a special NIA court delivered a notable judgment, acquitting all seven defendants in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit.

The court dismissed all charges against the defendants under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Arms Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), citing a lack of adequate evidence.