Mumbai, April 6 - Judge AK Lahoti of the special NIA court hearing the 2008 Malegaon blast case has been transferred to Nashik. He has been transferred under the annual general transfer of district judges in such a situation that the court may reserve its decision in the coming days. The order of transfer of Lahoti and other judges by the Registrar General of the Bombay High Court will come into effect from the time the court reopens after the summer vacation on June 9.
A defence lawyer said that during the last hearing of the Malegaon blast case on Saturday, Judge Lahoti had directed the prosecution and the defence to conclude the remaining arguments by April 15 and the matter was expected to be reserved for decision the next day.
It may be recalled that on September 29, 2008, an explosive device attached to a motorcycle exploded near a mosque in Malegaon, a town located about 200 km from Mumbai in Nashik district of northern Maharashtra, killing six people and injuring over 100.
BJP leader Pragya Thakur, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit and five others are being tried for their alleged involvement in the case. The accused are being tried under various sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the IPC.
The case was initially investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2011.