Bombay HC quashes charges against four in 2006 Malegaon blasts, closes case against them

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday discharged four accused in the 2006 Malegaon blast case, setting aside charges framed by a special court and bringing the trial against them to a close.

A division bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Shyam Chandak delivered the ruling while allowing appeals filed against a September 2025 order of a special court that had framed charges.

The appeals also raised concerns over how charges were framed and questioned the discharge of certain co-accused.

With the High Court’s order, proceedings against Rajendra Chaudhary, Dhan Singh, Manohar Ram Singh Narwaria, and Lokesh Sharma stand terminated.

The bench had earlier taken note of a delay in filing the appeals and permitted them to be heard, observing that the matter fell within the framework of statutory appeals under the NIA Act.

It had also stayed trial court proceedings earlier this year after finding a prima facie case for interference.

During arguments, the appellants contended that the prosecution lacked direct eyewitness testimony linking them to the blasts and flagged inconsistencies in the discharge of other accused. Related appeals on those aspects are still pending.

The case pertains to the September 8, 2006, serial blasts in Malegaon, which led to multiple casualties and triggered a multi-agency probe.

The investigation moved from the Maharashtra ATS to the CBI and was later taken over by the NIA, which filed a supplementary chargesheet naming the appellants among others.

With the High Court now allowing the appeals, all four accused stand discharged from the case.