Malegaon blast accused Purohit moves SC for bail

Former Army officer Lt. Col. Prasad Shrikant Purohit on Friday moved the Supreme Court to challenge the Bombay High Court's rejection of his bail in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case.

The High Court had granted bail to prime accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur on April 25 but rejected Purohit's plea for bail.

As Purohit's counsel sought an early hearing, Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said: "Let the plea come before the court in the due course."

Purohit had challenged in the High Court a lower court order that rejected his bail plea.

At least six persons were killed in the blast in Malegaon, a Muslim-dominated powerloom town in Nashik district, on September 29, 2008.

The investigating agencies had earlier attributed the bomb blast to right-wing group Abhinav Bharat. Eleven accused, including Sadhvi and Purohit, were arrested.

The National Investigation Agency, which later probed the case, gave a clean chit to the Sadhvi but said the charges against Purohit were of grave nature.

The NIA contended that there was evidence to point to his involvement in the bombing.

--IANS

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