Malegaon blasts: NIA Court rejects Col Purohit's plea to drop UAPA charges

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Saturday rejected the plea of Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Purohit, one of the accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, seeking dismissal of charges against him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The court also asserted that the prosecution of Lt Col Purohit under UAPA is valid.

On October 8, the NIA court issued non-bailable warrants against two other accused Ajay Rahirkar and Sudhakar Chaturvedi after they failed to appear before the court.

READ | Malegaon Blast Case: Special Court To Look Into The Validity Of Sanction Challenged By Lt Col Purohit Before Framing Charges

On September 4, the apex court had refused to entertain Lt Col Purohit's petition seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into his alleged abduction and torture by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in connection with the case.

Lt Col Purohit was arrested for allegedly masterminding the blasts in Malegaon in 2008 -- something that had been connected to the 'Hindu terror' charge that was mentioned by a number of key UPA ministers at the time but which has been shown to be little more than a political bogey.

Six people were killed and nearly 100 injured when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle went off at Malegaon, a town in Nashik district of Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008. 

READ | Malegaon Blast Case: Lt Col Shrikant Purohit Plea Seeking Stay On Charges To Be Heard By Bombay High Court; LIVE UPDATES

In November 2008, the ATS arrested 11 people in this connection. In April 2011, the investigation was transferred to the NIA.

Earlier in June, a former member of the Mumbai ATS, currently suspended, told Republic TV that the recovered RDX that Lt Col Purohit was accused of having supplied to the Malegaon bombers was planted by the ATS under the then government's instructions.

Mehboob Abdul Karim Mujawar, who was an ATS insider said, that the RDX was planted and the then ATS officers and the then government planted it.

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