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The Indian Army has cleared Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit for promotion to the rank of Brigadier, sources said on Friday.
The development comes shortly after the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) stayed his retirement, which was due on March 31, 2026, while hearing his plea seeking promotion and related service benefits. The tribunal had issued notice to the Ministry of Defence and directed that his retirement remain on hold until a decision is taken on his statutory complaint. Purohit had approached the tribunal claiming that his career progression had been adversely affected due to the prolonged trial in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, in which he was an accused before being acquitted. He argued that the delay in the judicial process denied him a fair opportunity for promotion within the Army hierarchy. The Mumbai NIA court on July 31 had acquitted Purohit and six others in the Malegaon blast case, observing that the prosecution failed to establish the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. The verdict came after years of investigation and trial proceedings. Originally, 11 people were accused in the case; however, the court ultimately framed charges against seven. The other six who were acquitted alongside Purohit included former MP Sadhvi Pragya, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi (Shankaracharya) and Sameer Kulkarni. The Malegaon blast incident occurred on September 29, 2008, when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in the Bhikku Chowk area of Malegaon city in Maharashtra, killing six people and injuring 95 others. The case was handed over to the NIA in 2011 from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), following which extensive investigations and examination of hundreds of witnesses were carried out over nearly 17 years before the acquittal of all accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and all other charges. (ANI)
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