India, Aug. 1 -- "Have they been let off just today? Wasn't Sadhvi already free?"

"Uparwala saza dega." (God will punish them.)

These words from relatives of those who died in the 2008 Malegaon blast, which occurred in the month of Ramzan, encapsulate the sentiment of the six affected families in this power loom city in Nashik district, soon after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court's verdict on Thursday.

Old, ailing and abandoned by all political parties, these families, among the poorest residents of this city, have barely been able to keep track of the many twists and turns of the case.

After the acquittal of all the accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts last week, the question being asked in Malegaon was simple -- will...