Lt Col Purohit to be attached to Army unit, to remain suspended

Pic Courtesy: PTI

New Delhi: Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast who was granted bail by the Supreme Court, will be attached to an Army unit but will remain under suspension from service, informed sources said on Monday.

The Supreme Court earlier on Monday granted bail to Purohit, who spent nine years in prison. The Malegaon blast had killed seven people.

Purohit was suspended from service on January 20, 2009, after his arrest. 

The sources said he continues to be under suspension, but since he has now been ordered to be released on bail, he has to be attached to an Army unit.

He is likely to report back to the unit from where he was arrested. His suspension will thereafter be reviewed, the sources said.

Under the suspension, he will be treated as "under open arrest", wherein usually a soldier is supposed to wear only his uniform. Purohit, under suspension, can wear civilian clothes as well.

His stay in his Army unit will come along with restrictions, like limited area of movement, not leave the station without permission and reporting daily. 

He will also not be allowed to attend any public event or gathering.

Purohit`s return to active duty will depend on the final verdict in the case, the sources said.

On Monday, Supreme Court Justices R.K. Agrawal and Abhay Manohar Sapre granted bail to Purohit after telling him not to tamper with evidence.

The suspended Army officer had challenged the April 25 Bombay High Court order that granted bail to co-accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur but rejected his bail plea.

Seven persons were killed in the explosion in Malegaon in Nashik district in Maharashtra on September 29, 2008.

The investigating agencies had earlier attributed the blast to right-wing group Abhinav Bharat.