Malegaon blast case: HC asks Purohit about conspiracy meet

The Bombay High Court on Tuesdayasked 2008 Malegaon blast accused Lieutenant Colonel PrasadShrikant Purohit if he had any documents to show he attendedalleged conspiracy meetings for the blast as part of hisofficial duty for the Army.

A bench of Justices SS Shinde and Manish Pitale askedPurohit about a meeting that he had attended on January 26,2008.

As per the National Investigation Agency (NIA), thismeeting was organised by a group called Abhinav Bharat and theconspiracy for the blast was hatched here.

Six people were killed and over 100 injured in theblast that took place near a mosque in Malegaon on September29, 2008.

''The meeting that you attended on 26, where is thereference? Where is the reference that it was part of theofficial duty?'' the bench asked.

The bench had asked a similar question to Purohit onthe last hearing on February 3 too.

The court was hearing a plea filed by Purohit in HClast year seeking dropping of all charges against him.

He has maintained before HC that in attending theconspiracy meetings for the blast, he was discharging hisduties, collecting intelligence for the Army.

His counsels Neela Gokhale and Shrikant Shivade haveargued in all past hearings that by meeting other accusedpersons and participating in conspiracy meetings, Purohit hadmerely been collecting information and passing it on to theArmy.

In his plea, Purohit has said, since he was workingfor the Army, the NIA should have obtained a prior sanctionbefore prosecuting him.

On Tuesday, the HC suggested Purohit seek recoursebefore the trial court.

Shivade, however, argued that if at the end of thetrial in the blast case, the lower court was to hold that hisprosecution had indeed been without sanction, then why must hego through the trial at all.

Shivade also sought the court's permission to bringPurohit before the HC bench. The bench said it could agree tothe request if Purohit ''maintained decorum''.

HC will continue hearing the arguments in the case onFebruary 24.