Malegaon blast case: Bombay HC denies relief to Lieutenant Colonel Purohit

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday denied relief to Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case and refused to stay trial court proceedings.

The court has adjourned the case for the next two weeks.

The Supreme Court on Monday had asked the Bombay High Court to hear Lieutenant Colonel Purohit's plea challenging the validity of the prosecution sanction for his trial under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

A Special NIA Court had earlier commenced a trial against Lieutenant Colonel Purohit and six other accused in the case. On September 29, 2008, a bomb placed in a tiffin box tied to a motorcycle near a mosque in Malegaon exploded killing six people and injuring many.

On October 30, the court had framed charges against Lieutenant Colonel Purohit, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Sameer Kulkarni, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi and Sudhakar Chaturvedi, accusing them of a terror conspiracy, murder and other related offences.

Lieutenant Colonel Purohit, an Army officer, was arrested the same year for allegedly masterminding the blasts.