2008 Malegaon blast accused Lt Col Purohit leaves Navi Mumbai jail after nine years

Purohit, who is walking out of jail nearly nine years on, was granted bail on Monday after the Supreme Court observed “material contradictions” in the chargesheets filed by the ATS and NIA.

New Delhi /Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit was released from Tajola prison in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday, two days after being granted bail by the Supreme Court in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. Army vehicles escorted the former military intelligence officer from the prison. Purohit, who is walking out of jail nearly nine years on, was granted bail after the top court observed “material contradictions” in the chargesheets filed by the Anti-terrorism Sqaud (ATS) and National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Purohit, who was serving as a military intelligence officer when he was arrested by the Maharashtra ATS in 2008, said Tuesday he wanted to rejoin the Army. “The Army did not let me down. I have faith in the Army and my colleagues who stood behind me throughout. It has never been in the tradition or ethos of the Army to let anyone down. Never once did I feel that I was out of the Army,” he said. Army did not let me down .

Further, Purohit said the Army would decide on what future action should be taken with regard to the case. “I am not an individual, I am part of an organisation (Army). If they find that the claims I made were right, senior Army commanders will decide on whether they should seek action. I have faith in myself, my command and the commanders,” he said. Read: Who is Lt Col Purohit? How is he linked to Malegaon and other blast cases?

On September 9, 2008, a bomb blast killed seven people in Malegaon, a communally sensitive textile town in the Nasik district of Maharashtra. Purohit was jailed for his alleged role in the blast.