Army whisks away Lt Col Purohit

After spending nearly nine years in prison, Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit walked out of the Taloja Jail on Wednesday morning, two days after the Supreme Court ordered his release on bail.

As he emerged from jail around 10.40 am with a smile on his face, the 2008 Malegaon blast accused was whisked away by a convoy of military vehicles to the Army headquarters in Colaba.

Military police personnel began trickling into the jail premises early on Wednesday morning, and Purohit's lawyer was also present. A team of doctors conducted a routine health check-up for him, as the Navi Mumbai traffic police cleared the road outside for the sedan carrying Purohit and its convoy of two military jeeps, an SUV and two military trucks.

A few hours after his release, a Special National Investigation Agency court, where arguments on Purohit's discharge application are being heard, granted him a day's exemption. Purohit will appear before the court on Thursday, his advocate informed the court. Special prosecutor for NIA, Avinash Rasal, said exemption was sought since Purohit was escorted by Defence officials for completing his service formalities.