SC rejects Malegaon blast accused Purohit's plea for judicial probe
New Delhi, Sep 4 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the plea by Malegaon bomb blast case accused Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit for a judicial probe into his alleged abduction and torture by investigating agencies prior to his implication in the case.
"Why should we interfere at this stage? It will have some impact on the ongoing trial", the bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Navin Sinha and Justice K.M. Joseph said.
Senior counsel Harish Salve represented Purohit and urged the court to let the National Investigation Agency (NIA) look into it.
Urging the court to grant them the liberty to raise the issue before the trial court, Salve said the dismissal of the plea would be viewed differently.
The court permitted Lt. Col. Purohit to raise the issue before the trial court.
Purohit is facing trial in Malegaon blast case and was granted bail by the Supreme Court on August 12, 2017.
Purohit is the main accused in the Malegaon blast, which killed six persons in the Muslim-dominated powerloom town in Nashik district on September 29, 2008.
Purohit had based his plea for a judicial probe into his alleged abduction and torture on revelation by former Home Ministry Joint Secretary R.V.S. Mani in which he is said to have indicated that Purohit was "framed by some factions in the previous government in the name of 'saffron terror'."
Mani's revelation, Purohit said, had shocked him as he had "finally understood his role, of being used as a pawn, in the larger scheme of political spectrum by selfish political interests."
Mani, according to Purohit, had given interview to media houses and even written a book 'The Hindu Terror -- Insider Account of Ministry of Home Affairs 2006-2010'.
"In these circumstances, the perpetrators and schemers of such sinister modus operandi, compromising national security, are required to be identified and made accountable," the petitioner had said in his plea.
He had pointed out that there was "complete subversion of the criminal justice system by the state itself, and there is credible reason to fear that a citizen of this country, no less than an officer of the Indian Army, can be abducted, brutally tortured, labelled a terrorist and put away for nine years without a trial."
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SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
