New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) After a wait of 17 years, a Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court is set to deliver its verdict in the 2008 Malegaon blast case on Thursday.

The court had reserved its judgment on April 19, after completing hearings and final arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.

The court stated that the hearing concluded in April, but given the voluminous nature of the case — comprising over one lakh pages of evidence and documentation — additional time is required to go through all records before pronouncing the verdict.

All the accused in the case have been instructed to be present in court on the day of the verdict. The court has also warned that action will be taken against any accused who is absent on that day.

A total of seven individuals are facing trial in the case, including Lt Col Prasad Purohit, former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, and retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay.

They have been charged under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). All accused are currently out on bail.

The blast occurred on September 29, 2008, in Malegaon, a communally sensitive town in Maharashtra, during the holy month of Ramzan and just ahead of Navratri. The explosion claimed six lives and left over 100 people injured.

Over the course of a decade-long trial, the prosecution examined 323 witnesses, 34 of whom turned hostile.

Initially, the case was investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). However, in 2011, the probe was handed over to the NIA.

In 2016, the NIA submitted a charge sheet that cleared Pragya Singh Thakur and several other accused, citing insufficient evidence. The verdict, issued almost 17 years after the incident, is highly anticipated and is likely to have important legal and political consequences.

–IANS

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