Purohit gets bail in Malegaon case - after nine years in jail

The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to former Lt. Col. Prasad Shrikant Purohit, the main accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast which killed seven people after he had spent nine years in prison.

Justice R.K. Agrawal and Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre granted the bail to Purohit after telling him not to tamper with evidence.

Purohit had told the apex court that till date charges had not been framed against him while those under the MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) had been dropped.

He told the court that he had been in jail for nine years and was entitled to bail.

Purohit had challenged the April 25 Bombay High Court order which granted bail to another accused, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, but rejected his bail plea.

Seven persons were killed in the explosion in Malegaon in Nashik district in Maharashtra on September 29, 2008.

The investigating agencies had earlier attributed the blast to right-wing group Abhinav Bharat. - IANS