NEW DELHI: Nearly two decades after the 2008 Malegaon blast case derailed his career, Army officer Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit, who was acquitted last year, has been cleared for promotion to Brigadier, with the Armed Forces Tribunal’s intervention proving decisive.
Col Purohit, who was a Lieutenant Colonel at the time he was named in the case in 2008, subsequently rose to the rank of Colonel through time scale promotion during the prolonged course of the trial.
The Military Intelligence officer was acquitted in 2025 by a special court in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) case after a 17-year legal ordeal. He was due to retire on 31 March 2026 until the tribunal intervened and put his retirement on hold, keeping him in service and within the promotion pipeline.
Acting on his plea seeking promotion and consequential benefits following his acquittal, the AFT had issued notice to the Army seeking its stand.
In its order staying his retirement, the tribunal observed that “a prima facie case is made out as he was denied promotion on account of the illegal and fabricated manner in which he was implicated in the case, which was clearly established by the criminal court while acquitting him”.
The clearance for Brigadier now effectively extends Col Purohit’s service till 31 March 2028, since the retirement age for that rank is 56, as against 54 for a Colonel. Sources said the tribunal’s intervention was the key factor, as continuity in service is a prerequisite for consideration by promotion boards.
His case has long highlighted the institutional dilemma facing the Army when officers get entangled in prolonged criminal proceedings. Though he was granted bail in 2017 and rejoined service, he remained under suspension until July 2020.
A discipline and vigilance ban kept him out of promotion reckoning even after the suspension was lifted. When his case came up before a promotion board in February 2021, the result was kept in a sealed cover pending the outcome of the trial. After his acquittal in 2025, he was informed that he had not been found fit, a decision he challenged before the tribunal.
Col Purohit’s petition rested on the argument that prolonged litigation had denied him fair consideration for promotion and that the sealed cover procedure had been applied in a flawed manner. The tribunal’s subsequent intervention suggests it found merit in this contention.
The blast, which took place in Malegaon in Maharashtra on 29 September 2008, claimed six lives. The state Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) led the initial investigation before the NIA took over in 2011.
Col Purohit was among the accused, with investigators alleging he coordinated among co conspirators, facilitated meetings and arranged explosives. He denied the charges.
The trial, which began in 2018, saw several witnesses retract earlier statements, while the NIA also reviewed the case and scaled back certain charges.
In 2025, the special court acquitted all seven accused, citing gaps in the prosecution’s evidence and holding that reliance on certain confessional statements was legally untenable.