All nine accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case were acquitted by a Mumbai court on Monday. In 2014, the National Investigation Agency said it had no evidence linking the men to the blast (pictured above) that killed 37 and left more than 100 injured. But earlier in April, the agency opposed discharging the men.

The nine men, all Muslims, had alleged they were framed by the Anti-Terrorism Squad, which initially investigated the September 2006 blasts case. One of the accused died in 2015.

There were two sets of accused in the case – four Hindu men were arrested by the NIA after it took over the investigation. The case was transferred to the NIA after new information revealed that a Hindu group was responsible for the incident.