Malegaon blast case: After 9 years in jail, Lt Col Shrikant Purohit granted bail by SC

A bench of Justices R K Agrawal and A M Sapre will pass an order on the plea.

The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Lt Colonel Shrikant Purohit in the Malegaon blasts case. His bail was granted after Purohit had spent more than eight years in jail. The court said that Purohit should cooperate with the investigations. He should not tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses the court also said.

Supreme Court said "we set aside order of Bombay High court" while granting conditional bail to Malegaon blast accused Lt Colonel Purohit, reports ANI. A bench of Justices R K Agrawal and A M Sapre passed the order on the plea.

Aparna Purohit, wife of Col. Purohit, said: ''It's been a long battle for us. I am thankful to the court.''

During the last hearing, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Purohit, said his client has been in jail for the past nine years but charges have still not been framed against him.

He said the MCOCA charge has already been dropped against him and therefore he is entitled to getting interim bail.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had opposed the bail of Col Purohit and argues that the Bombay High court order should be upheld by the Apex court.

Purohit had moved the apex court challenging the Bombay High Court's order dismissing his bail plea. But the Apex court said that the issue of granting bail to former Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit and cancellation of bail of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur needed detailed consideration.

Nisar Ahmed Haji Sayed Bilal, the father of one of the blast victims, had challenged the Bombay High Court order granting bail to Thakur alleging that she was a "powerful person" and could influence the witnesses in the case.

With regard to the plea seeking cancellation of bail of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, the court has posted the matter for hearing on October 10.

Seven people were killed in a bomb blast in 2008 in Malegaon town Malegaon in the Nasik district of northern Maharashtra.

The charge sheet had alleged that Malegaon was selected as the blast target because of a sizeable Muslim population. Sashvi Pragya Thakur, Lt Col Purohit and co-accused, Swami Dayanand Pandey were named as the key conspirators in the charge sheet.

(With agency inputs)