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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LIVE | Election Results of five states 2026
New Delhi: The countdown has begun for the counting of votes for the Assembly elections in five states that have captured the attention of people across the country.
The counting of votes for the Assembly constituencies of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry will begin simultaneously at 8 am, and the fate of candidates in a total of 824 constituencies will be decided shortly.
The counting of postal ballots will take place first, followed by the counting of EVM votes in several rounds.
- Bhupen Borah, who recently left Congress and joined the BJP, is leading in Assam’s Bihpuria constituency
- Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma is leading in Jalukabari constituency
- BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is leading in West Bengal’s Nandigram constituencyFive-state elections: Postal vote counting begins
- TMC, BJP lead in one seat each in West Bengal
- In Tamil Nadu, DMK leads in 3 constituencies, while TVK leads in 1
- UDF leads in 5 seats in Kerala, BJP in 1, LDF in 1
- BJP leads in 2 seats, AIUDF in 1 in Assam
- AINRC leads in 1 constituency in Puducherry
- TMC leads in 5 seats in West Bengal; Mamata Banerjee’s party maintains initial lead
- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin leads in Kolathur
- BJP takes early lead in Assam
- Congress-led UDF leads in Kerala
- In Tamil Nadu, TVK chief Vijay leads in the Perambur constituency, lags in Tiruchirappalli South
- BJP leads in 10 seats in Assam
- LDF candidate V.P.P. Mustafa leads in the Thrikkaripur Assembly constituency
- Out of 294 seats in West Bengal, BJP is leading in 14 seats, TMC in 12 seats, Congress in 2 seats
- Out of 234 seats in Tamil Nadu, DMK is leading in 15 seats, AIADMK is leading in 5 seats, TVK is leading in 2 seats
- Out of 126 seats in Assam, BJP is leading in 31 seats, Congress in 4 seats, AIUDF in 2 seats.
- Out of 30 seats in Puducherry, NRC+ is leading in 3 seats, Congress in 2 seats, TVK in 1 seat.
- Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury suffers a setback in theBerhampore constituency in West Bengal.
