2008 Malegaon Blast: Special NIA Judge Transferred Ahead Of Verdict, Victims' Lawyers May Move HC

The Special NIA judge, AK Lahoti, who was conducting the trial in the 2008 Malegaon Blast case, has now been transferred to Nashik. This could delay the proceedings in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, as the final arguments in the case are almost over.

The Bombay High Court on Saturday released a list of annual transfers for 222 district sessions court judges across the state, which is part of the annual general transfer process. The list includes the name of Special Judge Lahoti as well. The judges are asked to report to their new postings by June, after the summer vacation which ends on June 9th.

The transfer of Special Judge Lahoti comes at a time when the final arguments are about to be concluded. The victims' lawyers, on one hand, are contemplating approaching the High Court to delay the transfer of Lahoti and extend his tenure until he delivers his final verdict in the blast case.

On the other hand, as a matter of rule, judges who are listed for transfer are asked to complete pending judicial hearings and orders or judgments before they leave to report to their new court. Hence, on Saturday, the special judge asked all the lawyers – defense and prosecution – to conclude their arguments by April 15th so that he can proceed to reserve his judgment.

The trial in the blast case was concluded in July last year, with the prosecution examining around 323 witnesses and presenting around 9,997 documents and 404 articles during the trial. Out of the 323 witnesses, 34 did not support the prosecution's case and were declared hostile. The three accused, including Prasad Purohit, examined eight witnesses to prove their innocence and the circumstances.

With this, after almost sixteen years since the powerful bomb blast that killed six people and injured 101 others in Malegaon in September 2008, the trial has reached its last stage.

The probe was initiated by the ATS and was later transferred to the 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 the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for conspiracy, murder, and other relevant charges related to the blast.