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Lt Colonel Shrikant Purohit has been facing trial in the Malegaon 2008 blasts case. Purohit, a former Maratha Light Infantry officer who later joined military intelligence, has been accused of being an active member of Abhinav Bharat, a radical Hindu group. It is alleged that Colonel Purohit stole 60 kg of RDX from the army, a portion of which was allegedly used in the Malegaon 2008 blast.

TIMES NOW has accessed a secret deposition of the Ministry of Defence that was submitted to the court which suggests Lt Colonel Purohit was innocent of the terror charges that are being levelled against him.

A background

Last month, while seeking bail, Lt Col Purohit had submitted a number of letters of appreciation from his superiors in the Army and the Nashik police chief whose jurisdiction covered Malegaon for his valuable work as an Army intelligence officer through his counsel.

Read: Malegaon blasts: ATS planted RDX to frame Lt Col Purohit, NIA says

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had last year accused the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of planting RDX traces to frame the prime accused, Lt Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit.

In a supplementary charge sheet filed before a special court, the NIA had said Purohit and eight others should be tried as accused in the blasts conspiracy case, but recommended that the charges brought against them under Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act ( MCOCA ) be dropped and they be tried under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) instead.

Also read: 2008 Malegaon Blasts Case: NIA Questions ATS Probe In Case