SC granted bail to Col. Purohit on the basis of NIA charge sheet: Harish Salve

ANI  |  New Delhi [India] 

Senior lawyer, Harish Salve, appearing for Lieutenant Colonel Purohit in connection to the 2008 Malegaon serial blasts case on Monday expressed satisfaction over the Supreme Court's verdict and said the bail plea was granted by the on the basis of the charge sheet filled by the Investigation Agency (NIA).

"I am very satisfied, after 9 years he (Colonel Purohit) will be with his family," Salve told ANI here.

He said that chargesheet filed by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) was contradictory, hence the top went by NIA charge sheet.

"The Supreme went by NIA chargesheet that says ATS chargesheet is contradictory. The witnesses have gone back on what they were saying, by saying that they were forced to make statement. Also the RDX, for which the ATS felt was possibly planted," he said.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme set aside the earlier order and granted bail to Purohit.

A bench of Justices R.K. Agrawal and A.M. Sapre passed the order on the plea.

Earlier on August 17, the apex reserved its order on the bail plea of Lieutenant Colonel Purohit.

Senior lawyer, Harish Salve, appearing for Lieutenant Colonel Purohit told the that he did not want to be discharged from the case at present, but for the interest of justice, wanted an interim bail.

Salve told the apex that Lieutenant Colonel Purohit was allegedly caught in the political crossfire and was falsely implicated in the case.

Opposing Lieutenant Colonel Purohit's bail plea, the Investigative Agency (NIA) argued that the order should be upheld by the apex

Lieutenant Colonel Purohit's bail plea was earlier rejected by the saying the charges against him were of a grave nature, after which he moved to the top

Lieutenant Colonel Purohit, a former military intelligence officer, is one of the accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts, along with Sadhvi Pragya and others.

The 2008 Malegaon serial blasts claimed four lives and left nearly 79 injured.

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