2008 Malegaon blast case: Special NIA court defers framing of charges; Bombay HC to hear Purohit's appeal on 29 Oct

Mumbai: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Friday deferred framing of charges in the 2008 Malegaon blast case till 30 October as some of the accused were not present in the court.The court directed all the defence lawyers to make sure that all of them should be present on the stipulated date for framing of charges.[caption id="attachment_5054381" align="alignleft" width="380"]

File image of Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Purohit. PTI[/caption]The Bombay High Court has already directed an expedited hearing in the case earlier this week. The high court has also agreed to hear Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit's appeal on 29 October. Lt Col Purohit had moved the court against the order of the special NIA court that had rejected his challenge to Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) sanctions.The NIA court had asserted that the prosecution of Lt Col Purohit under UAPA is valid.Six people were killed while more than a hundred got injured in the blast that took place on 29 September, 2008, in the Muslim majority town of Malegaon in Maharashtra. In November 2008, the Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested 11 people in connection to the blasts. In April 2011, the investigation was transferred to the NIA.