Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, discharged four men previously accused in the 2006 Malegaon serial blasts case, effectively quashing a special court’s order that had framed charges against them. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Shyam Chandak allowed the appeals filed by Rajendra Chaudhary, Dhan Singh, Manohar Ram Singh Narwaria, and Lokesh Sharma. While the court has set aside the proceedings against the four individuals, a detailed copy of the judgment explaining the legal reasoning behind the discharge is expected to be released shortly.
The four individuals had been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for murder and criminal conspiracy, alongside the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which took over the probe from the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), had alleged that the blasts were the work of right-wing extremists. This stood in contrast to the initial ATS investigation, which had led to the arrest of nine Muslim men. Those nine individuals were later discharged by a special court after the NIA found no evidence against them.
The legal battle for the four discharged on Wednesday intensified in September last year when a special court framed charges against them, prompting their appeal to the High Court. In January 2026, the High Court had stayed the trial proceedings, noting that a prima facie case for interference existed. The accused consistently maintained that the NIA failed to produce any substantive evidence linking them to the September 8, 2006, tragedy. The blasts, which occurred near the Hamidia Masjid and Bada Kabrastan in Malegaon, claimed 31 lives and left over 300 people injured.
