The Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) asked the Army to reconvene the probe against Malegaon blast accused Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit, holding that the Court of Inquiry (CoI) against him "suffers from the vice of irregularity".
Pronouncing the verdict on a petition by Purohit, arrested in November 2007, Justice S S Kulshreshtha observed that certain witnesses were examined by the Army in absence of Purohit who had "no opportunity to cross examine them", which violated the Army Rule 180.
"The Court of Inquiry suffers from the vice of irregularity.... It would be just and proper to direct the Army to further convene the CoI from the state when the statements of the witnesses were recorded on September 1, 2010 in absence of Purohit," the Tribunal said.
National News inextlive from India News Desk
