Malegaon Blasts: Lt. Colonel Prasad Purohit tells Mumbai court information shared by media used to create web series about him in Pakistan

Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, accused in the Malegaon Blast case, told a Mumbai court on Tuesday about a web series being telecast across the border in Pakistan based on information allegedly provided by media..The serving army officer showed a video clipping to the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) judge which allegedly was a web series created on the basis the information shared by media about him. He contended that the information which was being shared could be misused by terrorist outfits in Pakistan. .Purohit was arguing his application seeking that proceedings of the trial against him be conducted strictly "in-camera" with immediate effect.He alleged that anti-national opportunists are seeking to hijack the trial, thereby, affecting his right to have a fair trial..During the hearing on Tuesday, he claimed that the entire blast case was resurrected against him using media. He also told the Court that neither he nor his lawyer, advocate Viral Babbar, interacted with the media at any point of time.He also raised apprehension that confidential reports about him may have been leaked to the press. “I have been exposed and this is not right for the country,” he urged. Special Public Prosecutor Avinash Rasal for the NIA pointed out that this was the second application filed in the trial seeking in-camera hearing. The first application was filed by NIA in 2019 and it had been rejected by this Court though it had passed strictures for media personnel to follow.Co-accused Sameer Kulkarni also opposed Purohit’s plea submitting that Purohit has not highlighted any particular instance where the order of the trial court was violated. .After hearing the submissions, the special court reserved the application for orders to be passed in the next week..Meanwhile prime accused BJP Member of Parliament (MP) Pragya Singh Thakur moved an application before the Court seeking to expedite the trial alleging that NIA was deliberately delaying the trial. Advocate JP Mishra, representing the MP, stated that there had been at least three instances where NIA had summoned irrelevant witnesses, and after they were brought to court, they were dropped as witnesses. Mishra contended that several blast cases within Mumbai had concluded sooner despite not getting a day to day hearing (as was the case with Malegaon).The special NIA judge will also decide this application along with Purohit’s application.