Malegaon Blast: Judge Gets Extension Days After Transfer Order

The Bombay High Court has extended till August 31 the tenure of special NIA judge AK Lahoti, who is conducting trial in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, days after it issued an order for his transfer to Nashik.

Justice Lahoti was initially scheduled to be transferred as part of the annual transfer process. However, a recommendation seeking an extension for the judge was forwarded to the high court as the case was nearing conclusion. During Thursday’s hearing, the prosecution and defense lawyers were informed that the High Court had accepted the proposal, extending the special judge’s tenure.

In the meantime, the special judge has set a deadline for all parties to submit any remaining arguments or documents by Saturday, as the court is expected to close the case for judgment soon. Both the prosecution and defense have already concluded their final arguments before the court. The court aims to finish recording pleadings and deliver the verdict to meet the August 31 deadline.

The trial in the Malegaon blast case was concluded in July last year, with the prosecution presenting testimony from 323 witnesses and submitting approximately 9,997 documents and 404 articles as evidence during the trial. Out of the 323 witnesses, 34 were declared hostile. The three accused, including Lt Col Prasad Purohit, examined eight witnesses in their defense to prove their innocence and circumstances.

The investigation was initially carried out by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) before being transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The agencies charged Lt Col Prasad Purohit, BJP leader Pragya Thakur, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni under provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for conspiracy, murder, and other offenses related to the blast.

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