It Was Not Your Job: Bombay High Court Dismisses Plea Of Colonel Purohit

Mumbai, 2nd January 2023: The Bombay High Court has rejected a plea seeking the acquittal of Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, the main accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. Six civilians died and 101 people were injured in this bomb blast. The court heard Purohit, who demanded to be acquitted (saying that he was an army officer), and told him that it was “not your official job to carry out the bomb blast.”

The matter was heard before a bench of Justice A. S. Gadkari and Justice Prakash Naik. At this time, the accused argued that permission from the Indian Army is required under Section 197(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code to prosecute the case and that permission was not obtained in this case.

Colonel Purohit claimed that the Indian Army’s permission was required to prosecute him. However, the NIA rejected this claim of Purohit. Such permission is required only for things done while on duty. The Malegaon blast was not part of Purohit’s duty, the NIA said.

Colonel Purohit started an organization called Abhinav Bharat in 2007. It is alleged that the organization did not accept the Indian Constitution, and it aimed to make India a Hindu nation.

In 2008, a car bombing was carried out during the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. This car was in the name of Pragya Singh Thakur.

Colonel Purohit, BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and five others were arrested in 2008 in the Malegaon blast case. After this, in 2017, i.e. nine years after his arrest, Colonel Purohit was granted bail by the Supreme Court.