Mumbai: A Special NIA court on Thursday said it will likely give the judgment in the 2008 Malegaon blast case on July 31, noting that the matter has voluminous documents and it needs some time to deliver the verdict.
The court had scheduled the case on Thursday as a formal date and had asked all the accused to remain present before the court. Later, the court informed the accused that it would take more than two and a half months to deliver the verdict. The court has now asked all the accused to be present on July 31, the next date.
Seventeen years after a bomb planted in a motorcycle exploded in Malegaon, killing six people and injuring 101 on September 29, 2008, the special court has closed the case for a final verdict.
During the trial, the prosecution examined 323 witnesses and presented over 9,997 documents and 404 articles as evidence. Out of the 323 witnesses, 34 did not support the prosecution’s case and were declared hostile. The three accused, including Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, examined eight witnesses in their defense to prove their innocence and circumstances.
The case was first probed by ATS, which claimed that the accused were part of the organisation Abhinav Bharat and their object was to turn India into Hindu Rashtra called as Aryavart.
It was alleged that the group was instrumental in training several youths in handling arms and explosives at Bhonsala Military School in 2001. Some of them are believed to be involved in the blasts at Malegaon in 2006 and 2008.
