2008 Malegaon blast case: After 9 years in jail, Colonel Purohit granted bail by Supreme Court

The Supreme Court granted bail to Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, setting aside the previous order of Bombay High Court.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, setting aside the previous order of Bombay High Court.

The bail has been granted subject to certain conditions, said the top court. 

On August 17, Colonel Purohit told had the top court that he was been caught in "political crossfire" and was languishing in jail for nine years without even charges being framed against him.

Commenting on the development, former ATS chief KP Raghuvanshi said:

Earlier, Purohit accepted that he met Abhinav Bharat, a right wing organisation whose members were accused of conspiring in the Malegaon blast, but passed on the information of the meeting to to his senior officers about group's activities.

"My client has got himself caught in political crossfire. He has been in jail for nine years but still he is serving in the Indian Army. Since 2001, he has got numerous recommendations for infiltration. From an unsung hero, he has been now called an incarcerated hero," senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Purohit, had said.