IndiaTomorrow.net
Mumbai, Dec 27: A special National Investigating Agency (NIA) court here on Wednesday dropped charges under the MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) against Lt Col Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya, the prime accused in 2008 Malegaon blast case. Though all main accused will not be charged under organised crime law but will face trial under terror and conspiracy charges as the court dismissed their applications for discharge.
The accused will now be tried under section 16 (committing a terror act) and 18 (criminal conspiracy) of the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act), and sections 120(b) (punishment of criminal conspiracy, 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 326 (intentionally causing harm to others) of the IPC.
Apart from Pragya and Purohit, five accused namely Sudhakar Dwivedi, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Sameer Kulkarni, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Ajay Rahirkar will now face trial in the case. Court discharged three accused – Shyam Sahu, Shivnarayan Kalsangra and Praveen Takalki from the case. Two accused, Jagdish Mhatre and Rakesh Dhawde, will face trial only under the Arms Act, the court said.
Sadhvi Pragya and Lt Col Purohit, were arrested in Nashik’s Malegaon bomb explosion on September 29, 2008 where total seven people were killed and nearly 100 injured. The investigating agencies had earlier allegedly attributed the blast to right-wing group Abhinav Bharat.
Sadhvi Pragya and Lt Col Purohit both are already out on bail in the case. In April, Sadhvi Pragya was granted bail by the Bombay High Court, but denied bail to Lt Col Purohit, who approached to the Supreme Court. Four months later in August, Purohit was granted bail by the apex court.
The next hearing in the case is on 15th January.
