The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has condemned the acquittal of the nine surviving accused in the 2006 Nanded blast case, describing the verdict as a "tight slap" on the face of the Congress party. The VHP also demanded an apology from the party’s top leadership to Hindu society, following the court’s decision.

The session court in Maharashtra’s Nanded acquitted all nine accused on Saturday, ending a long-running trial that has sparked political controversy. The case, which had remained under investigation for nearly two decades, involved an explosion at the home of Laxman Rajkondwar, allegedly an RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) worker, on April 4-5, 2006. The blast killed his son Naresh Rajkondwar and VHP activist Himanshu Panse, who were reportedly assembling an explosive device at the time.