New Delhi /AMN
The Supreme Court today sought Maharashtra government’s response on bail plea by a 2008 Malegaon bomb blast accused Lt. Col. Prasad Shrikant Purohit challenging its bail rejection by the Bombay High Court.
Issuing notice, the bench of Justice road Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre gave Maharashtra government four weeks time to respond.
Bombay High Court by its April 25 order while granting bail to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur – an alleged prime accused in Malegaon bomb blast case – had rejected Purohit’s plea for bail.
Purohit had challenged before the High Court, the lower court’s order rejecting his plea for bail.
At least six persons were killed in the blast in Malegaon, a Muslim-dominated powerloom town in Nashik district, on September 29, 2008.
The investigating agencies had earlier allegedly attributed the bomb blast to right-wing group Abhinav Bharat. Eleven accused, including Sadhvi and Purohit, were arrested.
The National Investigation Agency which had probed the case gave clean chit to Sadhvi Pragya but said that the charges against Purohit were of serious and grave nature.
The NIA had contended that there was evidence pointing to involvement of Purohit in the case.