'Hindutva Terror' Revealed To Be A Bogey As All Malegaon Blast Accused Acquitted; Trump Says Indian Economy Is Dead, Rahul Gandhi Agrees; And More

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All Seven Accused In Malegaon Blast Case Acquitted By NIA Court; 'Hindutva Terror' Revealed To Be A Bogey

A special NIA court in Mumbai on Thursday (31 July) acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, drawing the curtains on a legal battle that stretched over 17 years.

With this verdict, the phrase 'Hindu terror' is shown to be a bogey, most likely created to guilt-trip a community for crimes its members did not commit, or, to create a false equivalence with a community whose members did indeed commit acts of terror.

The Malegaon blast had taken place in September 2008. Malegaon is a Muslim-majority town in Maharashtra. This was the time when terror attacks by radical Islamist groups, especially during the Indian festive season, had become dangerously frequent.

The timing of the blast — during Ramzan — and the nature of the attack gave the incident immediate national significance.

The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS), then headed by Hemant Karkare, traced the motorcycle used in the blast to Pragya Singh Thakur. Despite its tampered identification, forensic testing allegedly linked it to her.

Soon, Thakur, Lt Col Purohit, and others associated with the group Abhinav Bharat were arrested.

Charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), and the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (MCOCA) followed. What also followed, however, was the narrative of 'Hindutva terror' which was furthered by senior people in the then Union government.

In 2011, the Malegaon case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which found “serious lacunae” in the earlier investigation.

It eventually dropped MCOCA charges, citing invalid confessions and lack of admissible evidence.

By 2017, both Thakur and Purohit were granted bail due to insufficient grounds for continued incarceration. In 2019, Pragya Singh Thakur contested and won the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket. Speaking on her candidature then, PM Modi made it a point to emphasize that Thakur was given a ticket primarily to highlight how far the Congress would go to appease one community and vilify another.

As the trial continued, over 300 witnesses were examined, and many turned hostile.

On 31 July 2025, the NIA court acquitted all seven accused, stating that the case failed the threshold of proof “beyond reasonable doubt.”

But this verdict was not the only event yesterday which showed why the Congress needs to have a relook at its fundamentals.

Trump says Indian economy is dead, Rahul Gandhi endorses him

In a post on Truth Social on 31 July, the US President said: "I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India, their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let's keep it that way".

When the senior Congress leader was asked for his views on Trump's post outside the Parliament, Gandhi said that Trump was “only stating facts”. “Everybody knows this except PM Modi and the Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman. The economy is dead, and BJP ended it to help Adani".

After facing charges of repeating foreign narratives during Operation Sindoor, with this comment, Gandhi is now under criticism for endorsing what is seen by many as a 'rant' by the US president.

What Gandhi seems to have overlooked in an apparent haste to criticise the government is the fact that a nation's economy is not the output of the work of the government of the day alone. Every person in the country who works adds to the economy. With Gandhi endorsing the view that the 'Indian economy is dead', does he imply that the work and jobs of all Indians working in India add to nought?

Other developments

Cabinet Clears Four Major Rail Projects

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved four multitracking railway projects worth approximately Rs 11,169 crore, the Ministry of Railways said in a statement on Thursday (31 July).

The projects will expand Indian Railways’ network by around 574 km and are targeted for completion by 2028–29.

Itarsi–Nagpur 4th Line

Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar)–Parbhani Doubling

Aluabari Road–New Jalpaiguri 3rd and 4th Lines

Dangoaposi–Jaroli 3rd and 4th Lines

Together, these projects will cover 13 districts across the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand.

India Declines U.S. Offer of F-35 Fighter Jets, Cites Cost and Compatibility Concerns: Report

India has formally informed the United States that it will not proceed with the acquisition of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth fighter jets, according to a report by Bloomberg. The decision comes in response to an offer made by U.S. President Donald Trump during his February 2025 visit to New Delhi, where he proposed the fifth-generation fighter as part of a broader plan to boost defence ties and reduce India’s reliance on Russian military platforms.

While the F-35 was presented as a strategic alternative to systems like the S-400 air defence platform, Indian officials have cited several reasons for declining the offer. These include the jet’s high procurement and maintenance costs—estimated at $80 million per unit—along with its incompatibility with India's existing Russian-origin systems such as the Il-78 refuelling aircraft and the Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS).

Moreover, India’s emphasis on local manufacturing under the “Make in India” initiative has made co-production and technology transfer a non-negotiable requirement.

Till the time of writing, US authorities had not commented on the report.

Centre Plans New Pilot Phase For PM Internship Scheme Amid High Dropout Rates

The Central Government is preparing to launch another pilot phase of the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme (PMIS) in the coming weeks, as per reports. The move comes after earlier phases of the scheme saw high dropout rates and low acceptance among selected candidates.

PMIS aims to create 1 crore internship opportunities over five years, with a pilot target of 1.25 lakh internships in the 2024–25 fiscal year. However, challenges such as relocation hurdles, stipend concerns, and mismatched placements have led to limited uptake. The upcoming pilot will test revised guidelines and implementation frameworks ahead of a full-scale national rollout later this year.

Maharashtra Scraps EWS Quota In Private Medical Colleges

In a significant policy reversal, the Maharashtra government has withdrawn its earlier decision to implement the 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in private medical colleges.

Last week, the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell began the admission process for undergraduate medical courses and, in its information brochure, indicated the implementation of a 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in private medical colleges.

The move sparked apprehension among students and parents, as it would have significantly reduced the number of open category seats without any corresponding increase in overall seat intake.

That was not the only headline from the state though.

Over 42,000 Fake Birth Certificates To Be Scrapped In Maharashtra

The Maharashtra government has announced plans to cancel over 42,000 fake birth certificates issued to Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in the state by 15 August.

State Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, addressing the media in Mumbai on Wednesday (30 July), revealed that the number could increase as verification efforts continue.

“By 15 August, fake birth certificates given to Bangladeshis staying illegally in the state will be cancelled,” Bawankule said.

You’re all caught up—until next time.