Malegaon blasts: Bombay High Court will decide on Lt Col Purohit’s petition
The Supreme Court Monday asked the Bombay High Court to decide expeditiously the plea of Lt. Col Prasad Purohit, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. Purohit had moved the high court stating that the sanction granted by the government to prosecute him in the case, was wrong in law. It must be remembered that the Indian Army or Defence Ministry, both during UPA and NDA regimes gave sanctions for prosecution against Purohit and rejected National Investigating Agency requests.
A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Justice Vikram Nath noted that as of now 246 witnesses have been examined. In 2018, PGurus published a 24-page shocking letter written by Lt. Col Purohit to Human Rights Commission, detailing how he was tortured by the UPA regime. He had specifically mentioned the role of controversial police officer Pram Bir Singh.[1]
“The petition filed by the petitioner is pending consideration before the High Court where he has sought quashing of sanction. Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case, we deem it appropriate to request the High Court to take the petition and decide the same expeditiously in accordance with the law,” said the apex court on Monday.
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On December 18, 2017, the High Court refused to quash a government sanction that permitted Purohit’s prosecution in the blast case. Earlier, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court had dismissed his plea to discharge him from the case. A prior sanction for Purohit’s prosecution was required since he was a serving Army officer at the time.
Six people were killed and over 100 injured after an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque at Malegaon in north Maharashtra, about 200 kilometers from Mumbai, on September 29, 2008. All the seven accused in the case are currently out on bail.
Reference:
[1] Shocking letter by Colonel Purohit to Human Rights Commission exposes how he was tortured – Jun 14, 2018, PGurus.com
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