The Maharashtra government is facing a barrage of criticism over its handling of the Malegaon blast case, with accusations of employing double standards in relation to the 7/11 Mumbai serial train blasts case. Court decisions acquitted the accused in both instances due to lack of evidence. Despite this, the government appealed the serial blasts verdict to the Supreme Court while taking no similar action in the Malegaon case, sparking widespread criticism. An RTI inquiry into the Maharashtra government’s Law and Justice Department revealed that the state would not be appealing against the acquittal of seven individuals implicated in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast, including former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Colonel Purohit. This blast claimed six lives and caused injuries to approximately 100 people. In contrast, on July 22, the state government appealed to the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court’s ruling that acquitted the accused in the 7/11 Mumbai local train serial blasts. The Supreme Court subsequently stayed the High Court’s decision on July 24. The Bombay High Court had earlier acquitted all suspects in the 7/11 2006 Mumbai serial blasts, citing a lack of sufficient evidence. This incident resulted in over 100 deaths and over 800 injuries. The opposition is heavily criticizing the government for its varying approaches in these sensitive cases, accusing it of applying ‘double standards’ and interfering with the course of justice. This situation could lead to heightened political turmoil, given that the government has not commented on the Malegaon blast case, while it promptly appealed in the serial blasts matter. The government’s position in the Supreme Court was presented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The court stated that its decision in the serial blasts case was not to be taken as a precedent.
