Malegaon Blast case: Lt. Col. Purohit walks out on bail after 9 years

by

MUMBAI: 2008 Malegaon Blast case accused Lt. Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit has been released from the Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the case, on the condition that he won’t leave the country without the permission of the court.

He was driven out of the prison in a car at around 10.45 am. A team of Military Police and Quick Response Team of the Army escorted Purohit out of the jail.

 

Lt. Colonel Purohit, who was in prison for the past nine years, moved the top court after the Bombay High Court rejected his bail plea earlier this year.

On August 21, the apex court had granted bail to Lt.Col. Purohit in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

A bench of Justices R K Agrawal and A M Sapre had said that they are setting aside the Bombay High Court order by which the bail was denied.

He has been granted bail with few conditions — he won’t leave the country without prior permission from the court and that his passport must be deposited to the court.

Purohit has also been directed to appear in the court as and when he will be directed. In addition to it, he must make himself available for any investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

ALSO READ: SC grants bail to Malegaon Blast accused Lt. Col. Purohit

The court has also ordered Purohit against threatening or enticing anyone acquainted with facts of the case.

Meanwhile, senior lawyer, Harish Salve, appearing for Lieutenant Colonel Purohit told the media that they “relied on the new chargesheet by the NIA and it contradicted what was said in their earlier chargesheets.”

Earlier on August 17, the apex court reserved its order on the bail plea of Lieutenant Colonel Purohit.

Salve told the court that Purohit did not want to be discharged from the case at present, but for the interest of justice, wanted an interim bail.

He added that Lieutenant Colonel Purohit was allegedly caught in the political crossfire and was falsely implicated in the case.

A former military intelligence officer, Lieutenant Colonel Purohit, is one of the accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts, along with Sadhvi Pragya and others.

Sadhvi Pragya had been granted relief in the case by the Bombay High Court. The NIA had filed its reply in the case, saying that there was ample evidence against Purohit, but not against her.

The 2008 Malegaon serial blasts claimed four lives and left nearly 79 injured.

PTI/ANI inputs