HC extends tenure of judge hearing Malegaon bomb blasts case

The concluding arguments in the case have been made, and judge AK Lahoti is expected to pronounce the verdict in a month or two

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court has extended up to August 31 the tenure of judge AK Lahoti, who is presiding over the 2008 Malegaon bomb blasts case trial, which has now reached its final stage. The concluding arguments in the case have been made, and Lahoti is expected to pronounce the verdict in a month or two.

Mumbai, India - Aug. 28, 2015 : Bombay High Court : ( Photo by Bhushan Koyande )

In April, the high court registry had issued a notification naming special sessions judge Lahoti in the annual general transfer list. He was supposed to take charge at his new station in Nashik by June 9. The notification also directed the transferred judges to finish the judgments in cases where the hearings had already concluded.

However, the high court administration has now decided to extend Lahoti’s tenure in Mumbai so that he can complete the Malegaon case trial. The decision comes months after advocate Shahid Nadeem, representing the victims in the blasts case, wrote to the chief justice of the Bombay high court in March seeking an extension of Lahoti’s tenure. Nadeem had said that Lahoti was the fifth judge to preside over the matter and expressed apprehension that he might be transferred during the upcoming annual general transfers before the completion of the trial.

During the last hearing on April 16, Lahoti gave both the prosecution and defence until April 19 to file their written notes of arguments, after which the court is not likely to grant any extension. Therefore, the court is likely to close the case for judgment on April 19, when a tentative date for the pronouncement of the judgment may also be declared.

On September 29, 2008, a bomb planted on a motorcycle went off in the communally sensitive Malegaon city in Nashik district, killing six people and injuring 101. The case, which was initially registered at the Azad Nagar police station, was taken over by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in October 2008 and later by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) in April 2011.

In October 2018, the trial officially began with the special NIA court framing charges against BJP leader Pragya Singh Thakur and six others under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code involving conspiracy and murder.

In September 2023, the prosecution had closed its evidence against the seven accused after examining 323 witnesses in the case. The final arguments in the case had commenced in July 2024.