31 July 2025: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday slammed Congress over the acquittal of seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, saying the verdict exposes the party’s “anti-India, anti-justice and anti-Sanatan character”
“The acquittal of all accused in the Malegaon blast case is a living testament to the phrase ‘Satyamev Jayate’. The verdict once again exposes the anti-India, anti-justice and anti-Sanatan character of the Congress, which coined the false term ‘saffron terror’ and defamed crores of Sanatan believers, saints, and patriots,” Yogi said in a post in Hindi on X.
The UP CM also said that the Congress should publicly admit its “unforgivable misdeeds and apologise to the nation”.
The reaction comes after a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, including former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and lieutenant colonel Prasad Purohit, citing lack of direct evidence and procedural lapses.
Special Judge AK Lahoti, assigned to hear cases of the NIA in Mumbai, flagged several loopholes in the prosecution’s case and the investigation carried out, and said the accused persons deserved the benefit of doubt.
AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi expressed disappointment over the acquittal of the seven accused, calling it a result of a “deliberately shoddy investigation and prosecution”.
“The Malegaon blast case verdict is disappointing. Six namazis were killed in the blast and nearly 100 were injured. They were targeted for their religion. A deliberately shoddy investigation/prosecution is responsible for the acquittal,” the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief posted on X.
Meanwhile, AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel has demanded that the Maharashtra government challenge the acquittal of seven accused in the Bombay High Court.
Summary:
UP CM Yogi Adityanath said the Malegaon blast acquittals expose the Congress’s anti‑India, anti‑justice, and anti‑Sanatan character, demanding a public apology.