[Malegaon Blasts] "Anti-national opportunists hijacking trial:" Lt Col Prasad Purohit seeks in-camera hearing

Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, accused in the Malegaon Blast case of 2008 has filed an application before the Special Court under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act seeking that proceedings of the trial against him be conducted strictly "in-camera" with immediate effect. .He has alleged that anti-national opportunists are seeking to hijack the trial thereby affecting his right to have a fair trial. In the interest of justice and for conducting a fair trial, the case should remain confined to the court room and not be "hijacked by opinion makers and anti-national opportunists", he contended.As opposed to open court hearing, an in-camera hearing is one in which only the judges, the court staff, the parties and their advocates would be permitted inside the Court room. Thus, public and media persons will not be allowed accused to the proceedings and media will also be barred from reporting on the proceedings till the final verdict of the trial is pronounced..In his application, Purohit relied upon an order passed by the Special NIA Court in 2019 wherein certain restrictions had been imposed on journalists for reporting the case. However, despite the orders of the court, "almost all leading main stream electronic media channels and agencies have involved themselves into conducting of debates and discussions about the ongoing case in direct contravention to the existing orders".He submitted that such reportage which generated opinion on the trial, amounted to contempt of court.He, therefore, prayed that the permission given to the journalists in the restricted form be withdrawn completely and no presence of media be allowed in the courtroom during the proceedings..Through another application, he also prayed that all reporters and editors of electronic/ print/ social media be summoned and warned not to conduct debates and/or discussion.This is the second application seeking in-camera hearing in the Malegaon case. The first application was filed by NIA in 2019 stating that the trial will “have a direct bearing on the communal harmony, national security and public order” and hence should be barred. While hearing the application of NIA, eleven journalists from print and electronic medium had intervened to oppose the application.While rejecting NIA's application, the Court had passed certain strictures for the media personnel to adhere to. The order passed in that application is what Purohit has referred to, in his present application.Some of the strictures were that: Journalists shall not use electronic devices inside the Courtroom;Reporting would be as per factual position, without disclosing name and address of witness nor adding personal or editorial notes in the publication;Journalists shall not conduct debate, interview or discussion of any kind on the case nor print something of that nature..Interestingly, the trial has been making headlines for the past few weeks as 16 witnesses have turned hostile in the case out of the 222 witnesses who have been produced before the NIA Court. .[Read 2019 order]