MUMBAI – Lt Colonel Shrikant Purohit, who was accused of blasts in Malegaon, walked out of jail after having spent 9 years behind bars.
Purohit was released from Tajola jail in Maharashtra on Wednesday after the Supreme Court granted him bail on Monday, the delay happened due to legal formalities.
The Malegaon blast that took place in 2008 led to seven casualties after which Purohit was arrested and suspended from job, but according to his lawyers, the suspension was revoked after a court of inquiry.
Purohit came under the radar of investigators after being accused of floating Abhinav Bharat, a right-wing group that allegedly planned and executed the blasts, and also of collecting huge funds and using them to procure arms and explosives and organizing meetings where the Malegaon attack was planned.
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What alarmed the law enforcers was the fact that the blast site was an area having sizeable Muslim community, an allegation put forth in a 4000-page charge sheet as well.
Purohit while blowing the lid off Indian spy agencies before top court maintained that he was assigned by military intelligence to infiltrate various terror organizations and that his superiors knew about his actions and association with Abhinav Bharat.
Lt Col Purohit appealed in the Supreme Court against a Bombay High Court order earlier this year denying him bail. The High Court had then granted bail to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who was also accused of plotting the Malegaon attack. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said it had no evidence against Sadhvi, but enough proof of Lt Col Purohit’s role in the blasts.
After having been granted bail, the Army official wished to wear his uniform again.
‘I want to wear my uniform. It is the outermost layer of my skin. I am wedded to it. I am very happy to get back into the service of the best organization in the country if not the world, the Indian Army,’ he said.
