Mumbai: Lt. Col. Shrikant Prasad Purohit, who was granted bail on Monday by the Supreme Court in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, will have to spend one more night in jail before he is released on Wednesday. Mr. Purohit was produced before special NIA judge S.D. Tekale on Tuesday. The court is hearing the accused on framing of charges in the Malegaon blast case.
In the afternoon, Mr. Purohit’s lawyers in New Delhi approached the Supreme Court, seeking modification of bail conditions. “The SC accepted our request and allowed us to avail of cash bail instead of producing sureties,” said advocate Shrikant Shivde, who is representing Mr. Purohit’s. His lawyers then initiated the procedure for getting a release order, which the special NIA court issued in the evening.
Police escorted Mr. Purohit back to Taloja jail near Mumbai a little after 6.30 p.m. An army vehicle had reached there to take Mr. Purohit, but it left after realising he may not be released as formalities could take more time. He is likely to be released on Wednesday after formalities have been completed, they said.
Mr. Purohit has been in jail for almost nine years for his alleged role in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. Six people were killed in a bomb blast on September 29, 2008 at Malegaon, a communally sensitive textile town in Nashik district.
