Acquitted In Malegaon Blast Case, Colonel Purohit Gets Promoted
A Discipline and Vigilance ban by the Indian Army on Purohit was lifted following his acquittal, allowing his promotion assessments to be reviewed and approved.
- Lt Col Prasad Purohit promoted to Colonel post-acquittal.
- Court cleared Purohit and others in 2008 blast.
- Army lifted 16-year ban, allowing career progression.
The Indian Army has promoted Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit to the rank of Colonel following his acquittal in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. On July 31, the court cleared Purohit and all other accused of charges related to the attack.
The 2008 blast had claimed six lives and left more than 100 people injured. Purohit had spent nine years in jail during the trial and consistently maintained before the Supreme Court that he was falsely implicated for political reasons. He had joined the Maratha Light Infantry in 1994.
Earlier this month, the Army lifted the Discipline and Vigilance (DV) ban that had stalled Purohit’s career for the past 16 years. The DV ban, imposed after his arrest in 2008, prevented his name from being considered for promotion despite being eligible.
According to an NDTV report, quoting sources, the clearance process began once the ban was removed, with the file sent to the Southern Command before moving to Army Headquarters in Delhi. There, top-level declassification and legal approvals paved the way for a special board to open his previous promotion assessments, leading to his elevation as Colonel.
Besides Purohit, former BJP MP from Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was among the main accused in the Malegaon blast case.
Major (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay; Ajay Rahirkar; Sudhakar Dwivedi; Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni were the other five accused in the case who were acquitted by a special NIA on July 31.
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