New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) The Congress and NCP-SP on Friday criticised the promotion of Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit, who was acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon blast case last year, to the rank of Brigadier by the Indian Army.

The Indian Army cleared Colonel Purohit’s promotion, marking a significant development in a long-running service dispute linked to his career progression and earlier legal proceedings in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Reacting to Colonel Purohit’s promotion in the Indian Army, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Wadettiwar said, “Now power is in their (BJP’s) hands, whether someone is acquitted or given a clean chit, all this does not matter to them. The BJP only functions according to its own political benefit. They don’t care about the people of the country.”

The Congress leader noted that it is a “political downfall” if the victims or those who lost their family members in the Malegaon bomb blast have not been thought of before such a decision.

“Colonel Purohit’s promotion depicts that… at least don’t do this so that the emotions of the people, who lost their family members in the Malegaon bomb blast, are not hurt. If they (BJP) cannot think even this much, then it is a political downfall.”

Expressing his dissatisfaction with the decision, NCP-SP leader Anil Deshmukh said, “Despite his (Colonel Purohit’s) name coming up in the (Malegoan blast) case, investigation having taken place, the Army officer has been promoted by the Indian Army.”

Deshmukh added, “Everybody knows which political party Colonel Purohit has links with. I think this promotion has been done due to their (the party’s) influence.”

According to official Indian Army sources, the decision to promote Colonel Purohit follows earlier directions from the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT), which had stayed his retirement scheduled for March 31, 2026, after hearing his plea seeking consideration for promotion.

The tribunal’s intervention ensured that Colonel Purohit’s service tenure remained active while his statutory complaint regarding promotion and service benefits was adjudicated.

As per the detailed background of the case, Colonel Purohit was arrested in 2008 and remained in custody until 2017, when he was granted bail by the Supreme Court. He subsequently resumed service in the Indian Army and continued his duties. In July 2025, a Special NIA Court in Mumbai acquitted him in the Malegaon blast case.

–IANS

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