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Maharashtra

2006 Malegaon bomb blasts case: NIA Relied On Hearsay Witnesses, Inadmissible Evidence, HC Discharges Four Persons

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Mumbai: The Bombay High Court, while quashing the charges against four accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blasts case, sharply criticised the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for relying on “ “hearsay witnesses” and “inadmissible evidence” while ignoring earlier findings of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). 

The court noted that there were “diagonally opposite stories” put forth by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and NIA, that could not be “reconciled by any stretch of imagination”.

A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Shyam Chandak, on Wednesday, set aside the September 30, 2025 order of a special NIA court, holding that there was “no sufficient material on record to proceed” against the accused. The court discharged Manohar Narwaria, Rajendra Chaudhary, Dhan Singh and Lokesh Sharma, effectively leaving no accused currently facing trial in the case. The detailed judgement copy was made available late at night.

The HC passed the judgment while allowing an appeal filed by two of the accused challenging the trial court’s decision framing charges against them. 

The bench underscored that at the stage of framing charges, a judge must apply judicial mind and cannot act as a “mere post office” at the behest of the prosecution. It noted that charges can only be framed when there are grounds to presume that the accused has committed an offence, adding that such grounds were absent in the present case.

The court found serious inconsistencies between the investigations conducted by the ATS and the NIA, observing: “The diagonally opposite stories in the charge-sheet filed by the ATS and the NIA lead nowhere,” the bench said, adding that the case appeared to have reached a “dead end”.

Coming down heavily on the NIA, the court noted that most of the witnesses cited by the agency were “hearsay witnesses” and that the material it relied upon — including evidence relating to the purchase of bicycles allegedly used in the blasts — could not be treated as incriminating. Even if such material were assumed to be truthful, it was insufficient to link the accused to the crime, the court said.

The bench also rejected the evidentiary value of disclosure statements and retracted confessions relied upon by the NIA. “A witness who gives two versions of a story and retracts his previous statement becomes an unreliable witness and his testimony is liable to be discarded,” the court observed. It reiterated that criminal jurisprudence does not accept the presumption that a confession necessarily implies guilt.

The court further held that the NIA’s so-called “further investigation” amounted to a fresh probe, which is impermissible in law. It questioned why the agency failed to collect fresh, independent evidence and instead relied heavily on retracted statements of accused persons and witnesses.

Importantly, the bench said that evidence collected by the ATS — including forensic reports indicating the presence of RDX and other explosive materials — could not simply be ignored. “The evidence collected by the ATS… is not wiped out from the record,” it said, raising concerns over how the trial court overlooked such material while framing charges.

Finding that the special judge had failed to properly evaluate admissible evidence and had relied on material that could not be legally sustained, the High Court concluded that the order framing charges was unsustainable.

“The Special Judge did not apply his judicial mind… and considered materials which are not admissible in evidence,” the bench held, while discharging the accused and releasing them from their bail bonds.

The 2006 blasts in Malegaon, a textile town in the Nashik district, occurred on September 8, leaving 31 people dead and over 100 injured. Four bombs exploded near the Hamidia Mosque and the Bade Kabristan area during Friday prayers. A few days later, on September 13, a “fake” bomb was recovered from the staircase of the Mohammedia Mosque.

Following the explosions, an offence was registered under provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other laws against unknown persons. The initial probe was conducted by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which arrested several individuals and filed a chargesheet in December 2006. Subsequently, the investigation was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in February 2007, which filed a supplementary chargesheet. The case was later handed over to the NIA in April 2011.

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Maharashtra

Kasturba Marg Police recover 100 stolen mobile phones, return them to their original owners

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1 day ago

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October 3, 2026

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Acting on complaints regarding stolen and lost mobile phones within the jurisdiction of the Kasturba Marg Police Station in Mumbai, police analyzed data from the CEIR portal and conducted technical investigations. By verifying device details, IMEI numbers, and user information, officers from the Kasturba Marg Police Station tracked down and recovered a total of 100 mobile phones from locations across Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.

The total estimated value of the 100 recovered mobile phones is ₹2,270,658. Of these, 18 phones have already been returned to their respective owners/complainants, including: 1) Rajendra Puri, 2) Khush Saw, 3) Kripa Lodhiya, 4) Shreya Satam, 5) Atul Sathe, 6) Priyanka Mistri, 7) Banu Tarang, 8) Prem Gupta, 9) Adya Shaikh, 10) Shweta Shah, 11) Sandhya Pandit, 12) Deepak Sawdekar, 13) Saurabh Jhangar, 14) Ketan Shete, 15) Onkar Raut, 16) Jayalal Yadav, 17) Lakshmi Appa Kripagiri, and 18) Praveen Dubey. The process of returning the remaining phones to their owners is currently underway.

This operation was carried out under the supervision of the DCP (North, Zone 3), Mumbai, by the team at Kasturba Marg Police Station, led by Balasaheb Bunkar.

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Crime

CBI books Mumbai firm, officials in Rs 93.44 crore loan fraud case

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1 day ago

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October 3, 2026

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Mumbai, Oct 3: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at multiple premises in Mumbai and registered a Rs 93.44 crore bank fraud case against officials of Hanjer Biotech Energies on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, an official said on Saturday.

The CBI conducted searches on Friday at multiple premises linked to the directors of Hanjer Biotech Energies in Mumbai, the CBI said in a statement.

The CBI registered the instant case on September 30, 2026, on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, SAM Branch, Mumbai, against Hanjer Biotech Energies, its directors and guarantors, unknown public servants and unknown private persons.

The accused were booked for offences of criminal conspiracy for cheating and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, resulting in alleged wrongful loss of approximately Rs 93.44 Crore to the bank.

It was alleged that the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy, obtained term loan of Rs 135 crore on the invoices of its related party and diverted/siphoned off the funds for other purposes for which it was not sanctioned, causing loss to the bank, the CBI said.

During the searches on Friday, incriminating bank documents and property documents relevant to the investigation were recovered and seized.

Investigation is continuing to ascertain the full extent of the conspiracy, identify the role of all involved persons, including public servants and private individuals, and trace the end-use of the loan funds, the CBI said.

In a separate case on Friday, the CBI arrested an Executive Engineer of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Mumbai, his relative and three officials of a Mumbai-based real estate group, in a Rs 50 lakh bribery case related to the issuance of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for a land parcel.

Vikrant Verma, Executive Engineer, CPWD Mumbai; Saurav Gupta, Verma’s relative based in Pune; and Arvind Semwal, Vice President, Baya Company, were among those named in the FIR by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday, an official said.

The arrested accused were produced before the Special CBI Judge in Mumbai on Friday, the official said in a statement.

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Maharashtra

Monsoon Withdraws Further from Maharashtra; Hot and Humid Weather Alert Issued for Konkan Region

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1 day ago

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October 3, 2026

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MUMBAI PRESS — The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Saturday, October 3, 2026, that the Southwest Monsoon has withdrawn from parts of Maharashtra, as well as the remaining regions of North India, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.

The current withdrawal line of the Southwest Monsoon passes through Harnai, Baramati, Parbhani, and Brahmapuri in Maharashtra, extending northeastward through Raipur, Ranchi, and Supaul. Weather officials stated that conditions are favorable for further retreat from most parts of Marathwada, Vidarbha, and additional areas of Madhya Maharashtra over the next 2 to 3 days.

Hot and Humid Stretch for Coastal Maharashtra
Residents in the coastal belt should prepare for elevated discomfort over the weekend. The IMD has issued a hot and humid weather warning for Konkan & Goa prevailing from October 3 through October 5.
Following this dry and muggy stretch, mild weather activity is expected to return to the region. Isolated to scattered rainfall is forecast across Konkan & Goa and Madhya Maharashtra between October 6 and October 9.

Southern and Northeastern Forecast
While monsoon forces retreat from central and northern parts of India, southern states are bracing for heavy downpours. Isolated heavy rainfall is predicted over Kerala, Mahe, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal from October 4 to October 6, with South Interior Karnataka expected to receive heavy spells on October 5 and 6.

In the northeast, isolated heavy rainfall is expected to continue over Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh through October 3.

Advisory for Fishermen
Due to lower-tropospheric cyclonic circulations over the Arabian Sea, the IMD has urged fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Kerala coast, Lakshadweep, Maldives, and the Comorin area on October 3. Farmers in heavy rainfall zones have also been advised to ensure proper field drainage and move harvested crops to covered storage to prevent crop damage.

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