Courts deny relief to Lt Col Purohit
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit’s plea, seeking a court-monitored probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into his alleged abduction, illegal detention and brutal torture in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case.
A bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Naveen Sinha and KM Joseph said, “Why should we interfere at this stage? It may impact the trial.”
The bench, however, granted Purohit the liberty to raise his contentions before the trial court and said it was not expressing any opinion on his petition.
Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Purohit, told the bench that since the National Investigation Agency was seized of the matter, the agency could look into it. The bench, however, asked him to raise the issue before the trial court.
Purohit is currently out on bail granted by the apex court last year, after he had spent nine years in custody.
In the plea moved on August 27, Purohit had sought compensation for his “illegal detention and brutal torture by officials of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad”.
He further alleged that he was constrained to bring to the court’s notice “the absolute illegal and arbitrary actions of the officials of the Respondent No.1 (Centre) and other agencies of the State, during the relevant time regarding the abduction of the Petitioner, a serving Officer in the Intelligence Corps of the regular Indian Army and his brutal torture in the custody”.
HC REJECTS STAY ON FRAMING OF CHARGES
The Bombay high court on Tuesday declined to stay a lower court order for framing of charges in a case against Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit and 13 others accused in connection with the 2008 Malegaon blast.
Purohit had challenged the decision of the lower court in the high court, seeking a stay on the framing of charges on September 5, the critical pre-trial process in the case.
On August 29, Special Judge Vinod Padalkar of the National Investigation Agency Special Court had ruled that charges would be framed against Purohit and the remaining 13 accused .
Besides, Purohit also sought a stay on the proceedings until the court finally decided on the applicability of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, under which all the 14 main accused, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, have been charged.
NEW DELHI, MUMBAI: