Lt Col Purohit to serve in Army till March next year

Lt Col Shrikant Purohit, who was among the seven persons acquitted by a Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), will remain in Army service until March next year, when he retires at the mandated age of 54 for his rank. He will also receive full OROP benefits on retirement.

Purohit, who was first suspended by the Army in November 2008 following his arrest by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) over the Malegaon blast conspiracy, was reinstated after being granted bail by the Supreme Court in September 2017. The ATS had filed its charge sheet in January 2009 against 11 accused, including Purohit and Pragya Thakur.

In 2018, charges framed against seven accused – including Lt Col Purohit, Pragya Thakur, Ramesh Upadhyay, Sameer Kulkarni, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi and Sudhakar Chaturvedi.