Goa, July 31 -- A special NIA court in Mumbai on July 31 acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon terror blast case, bringing a dramatic end to a trial that spanned nearly 17 years. The blast, which took place on September 29, 2008, at Bhikku Chowk in Malegaon, Maharashtra, killed six people and injured more than 100.

Among the acquitted are BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit, Major (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sameer Kulkarni, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi. All were accused of being part of a larger conspiracy to create a "Hindu Rashtra" through acts of terror.

Special Judge A.K. Lahoti, in his verdict, said, "Terror has no religion because no religion can advocate violence." The court ...