Former Indian MP’s Terror Trial Was Largely Conducted in Her Absence

Bellingcat’s analysis of India’s NIA special court records in the 2008 Malegaon blast case finds that former MP Pragya Thakur—ultimately acquitted with six others after prosecutors failed to prove the bomb’s link to her motorcycle—was recorded present at only three of 162 hearings during final arguments (July 2024–May 2025), repeatedly securing medical exemptions despite judicial warnings and a bailable warrant; prosecutors said proceedings were not stalled, victims’ counsel plans to appeal, and the case stands out for its duration (1,187 hearings over 84 months) amid broader controversy over alleged prosecutorial pressure and Thakur’s polarizing public statements.