New Delhi/IBNS: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said the Congress' "sinister conspiracy" collapsed after all accused including former party MP Pragya Singh Thakur, ex-Army officer Lt. Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit were on Thursday acquitted in the Malegaon blast case.

BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya posted on X, "This is HUGE. All seven accused in the Malegaon blast case (2008), including Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Col Prasad Purohit, have been acquitted by the court.

"The sinister conspiracy by the Congress to manufacture the bogey of ‘Saffron Terror’ has not just collapsed — it has been buried for good. Those like Sonia Gandhi, P. Chidambaram, and Sushilkumar Shinde, who led this malicious campaign, owe an unconditional apology to Hindus for maligning Sanatan Dharma. Sanatan is sacred. Hindus can never be terrorists."

The judgement has been passed by a special court 17 years after the blast killed six people and injured more than hundred.

Special judge AK Lahoti said the prosecution couldn't prove the allegations against the accused.

Justice Lahoti said the prosecution couldn't prove the motorcycle used in the blast belonged to Pragya Thakur.

The accused have been given the benefit of doubt by the judge.

The blast took place when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town about 200 km from here in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008.

The accused were facing charges under Unlawful Activities Prevention (Act) and various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

They were charged with conspiracy, murder, attempt to murder, promoting enmity and voluntarily causing hurt, NDTV.