Maharashtra
2008 Malegaon Blast Case: Bombay HC Adjourns Hearing On Appeal Against Acquittal Over Incomplete Victim Details
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing on an appeal against the acquittal of seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case over incomplete details submitted about the appellant family members of victims.
The seven accused acquitted in the case included former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit.
Earlier, the HC on Tuesday said it was “not an open gate for everyone” to file an appeal against acquittal in the blast case, and sought details if the victims’ family members were examined as witnesses in the trial.
On Wednesday, the appellants’ lawyer submitted a chart of the details, but the bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad said it was incomplete.
The family members’ lawyer told the bench that the first appellant, Nisar Ahmed, whose son died in the blast, was not a witness in the trial.
Ahmed was, however, allowed by the special court to intervene and assist the prosecution during the trial, he said.
The lawyer added that out of the six appellants, only two were examined as prosecution witnesses.
The high court said the chart did not specify so.
“The chart is confusing. You need to verify it properly. Whether these persons were examined or not, that is the question. The chart is incomplete,” the court said and adjourned the hearing till Thursday.
The HC was hearing an appeal filed by the family members of the six persons who lost their lives in the blast against the acquittal judgment.
On September 29, 2008, an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon town, located about 200 km from Mumbai in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, killing six persons and injuring 101 others.
The appeal challenged a special court judgment acquitting the seven accused in the case, including former BJP MP Pragya Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit.
The HC bench on Tuesday sought to know if the family members were examined as witnesses in the trial.
The appeal filed last week claimed that a faulty investigation or some defects in the probe cannot be grounds for acquitting the accused. It also contended that the conspiracy (of the blast) was hatched in secrecy and hence, there cannot be direct evidence of it.
The petitioners claimed the order passed by the special NIA court on July 31, acquitting the seven accused, was wrong and bad in law and hence deserved to be quashed.
The appeal said the trial court judge should not act as a “postman or mute spectator” in a criminal trial. When the prosecution failed to elicit facts, the trial court can ask questions and/or summon witnesses, it added.
“The trial court has unfortunately acted as a mere post office and allowed a deficient prosecution to benefit the accused,” the appeal said.
It also raised concerns over the manner in which the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted the probe and trial in the case and sought the accused to be convicted.
The state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), by arresting the seven persons, unearthed a large conspiracy and since then, there has been no blast in areas populated by the minority community, the appeal said.
It claimed the NIA, after taking over the case, diluted the allegations against the accused persons.
The special court had, in its judgment, said mere suspicion cannot replace real proof and there was no cogent or reliable evidence to warrant a conviction.
Special judge A K Lahoti, presiding over the NIA court, had said there was no “reliable and cogent evidence” against the accused that proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The prosecution’s case was that the blast was carried out by right-wing extremists with the intention to terrorise the Muslim community in the communally sensitive Malegaon town.
The NIA court, in its judgment, had flagged several loopholes in the prosecution’s case and the investigation carried out, and said the accused persons deserved the benefit of doubt.
Besides Thakur and Purohit, the accused included Major Ramesh Upadhyay (retired), Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni.
Maharashtra
Public representatives have high confidence in Shinde’s work, Uddhav Thackeray MPs did not have confidence in his leadership: Milind Deora

Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora strongly criticised the absence of several MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray faction meeting. He said that only the UBT leadership can answer why UBT MPs did not attend the meeting called by his party. He said that the members who were absent from the meeting lacked faith in their party leadership. Deora said that today the people and public representatives have faith in the work and leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Eknath Shinde sahib works to strengthen the hands of those who trust in Shinde sahib’s leadership. Targeting Sanjay Raut, Milind Deora said that he is not aware of parliamentary traditions and rules. Other UBT MPs should understand what kind of meetings are held and what are the whip rules. On the issue of whip, Deora said that whip is issued only for voting in the House, not for attending any political meeting. This is a parliamentary rule and those who have been members for years should be aware of it. Milind Deora further said that Sanjay Raut sometimes abuses his own MPs, sometimes claims that all MPs are with him, sometimes says that his MPs were given money, and sometimes accuses MPs of corruption. This reflects his contradictory behavior. Sanjay Raut insulted his own MPs. With such behavior, who would want to work with him? He said that no leader has any faith left in the UBT leadership. Public representatives want their leader to be available to them. That is why many leaders still want to work under the leadership of Eknath Shinde. Shiv Sena welcomes anyone who wants to work for the development of their area. Our aim is not to weaken anyone but to strengthen the people. Finally, Deora said that the UBT leadership needs to examine itself instead of blaming others. I can only wish them well.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Municipal Corporation and Customs Department sign MoU for conservation and restoration of Mahim Fort

The vision of the conservation and restoration of the Mumbai Mahim Fort is to revive its historical beauty. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said that it is a matter of pride and honour that the Municipal Corporation is preserving this fort. An MoU was signed between the Mumbai Municipal Corporation and the Customs Department today (June 18, 2026) at the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Headquarters for the conservation and restoration work of Mahim Fort, which has been declared a State Protected Monument.
Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi, Principal Commissioner of Customs Department Shri Ajay Kumar Pandey, Additional Commissioner of Customs Department Nitin Tagde, Vikram Phadke, Deputy Commissioner (Commissioner Office) of Mumbai Municipal Corporation Prashant Gaikwad, Deputy Commissioner (South Zone) Prashant Gaikwad, Assistant Commissioner (South Zone) Prashant Gaikwad were also present on the occasion. Yogesh Desai, Advisor on Conservation of Ancient Heritage Vikas Dilawari, Dr. K. K. Sangle, Head of the Department of Structural Engineering, Virmata Jijabai Institute of Technology, etc. were present on the occasion.
As per the directions of Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, the conservation and preservation of ancient structures in Mumbai is being done under the guidance of Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi. On this basis, the Municipal Corporation has taken the initiative to conserve and revive the Mahim Fort.
Under this agreement, the dilapidated structure of Mahim Fort will be strengthened and reconstructed. The historical well present in the fort area will be searched and excavated. A pedestrian path will be made all around the interior of the fort. In addition, a protective wall will also be constructed to protect the foundation of the fort. Rs 20 crore has also been allocated for this. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said that the Municipal Corporation’s G (North) Department has removed the encroachments on the Mahim Fort and rehabilitated the local residents. So now help will be given to restore the glory of this fort. Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi said that the Municipal Corporation has made great efforts to remove the encroachments on the Mahim Fort, which is a historical and ancient heritage, and to preserve it. Now the administration is planning to develop this fort as a tourist destination.
Principal Commissioner of the Customs Department Ajay Kumar Pandey said that apart from being a historical heritage, Mahim Fort is known as the customs station of the Customs Department. The conservation and restoration work undertaken by the Municipal Corporation will make this fort famous. Also, this fort will develop as a tourist destination for Mumbaikars. Mahim is an ancient fort and the descendants of Raja Bimbadev built this fort around the 12th and 13th centuries. Mahim was the main centre of power among the seven islands of Mumbai and this fort is a symbol of that glorious history. The Maharashtra government declared Mahim Fort as a state protected monument in 1975. The total area of the fort is about 3,796.02 sq m. Currently, the fort is under the jurisdiction of the Customs Department. The existing structure of Mahim Fort was encroached upon in the form of slums. After surveying the entire area, proper documents were verified and 275 slums have been rehabilitated in flats available for project victims in Kurla and Malad. However, the restoration of a religious structure is underway.
The restoration and conservation work of the fort is proposed to be carried out under the guidance of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s G (North) Division Office, Customs Department, Advisor on Conservation of Ancient Cultural Heritage Vikas Dilawari and Dr. Sangal K. Jijabai, Head of the Structural Engineering Department of Veermata.
Maharashtra
Operation Tiger rebel MPs in Maharashtra should be disqualified: Abu Asim Azmi

Mumbai: Talking about the ongoing Operation Tiger of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Samajwadi Party Mumbai/Maharashtra state president and MLA Abu Asim Azmi said, “Today’s public representatives, leaders, and workers are no longer guided by ideology, they have become greedy. Those who take the votes of the people and then change parties of their own accord, their positions should be declared null and void.” Abu Asim Azmi further said that if someone contests elections on behalf of a party, he is provided with the party’s flag, banner, symbol and money. Workers are working day and night to ensure the victory of their candidate. Those representatives are elected on the basis of the party’s ideology, and people agree with this ideology, so they vote for them. However, after victory, they rebel against the party. A law should be made that if a candidate joins another party after winning, his position should be declared null and void. Taking a dig at the BJP, he said that the BJP is trying to lure, intimidate and It misuses power to intimidate and bring them into its party. If they do not join, they are sent to jail like Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh, but they were proven innocent. The BJP has tried to create a rift in other parties, which is why many parties have been split into two.
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