Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit’s lawyer alleged on Wednesday that teams of the CBI and Harayana police had threatened to kill the army officer in an encounter.

Advocate Shrikant Shivade made the allegation in the Shivajinagar court, where Purohit, a prime suspect in the Malegaon blasts, was produced in connection with a cheating case. The trial was conducted by judicial magistrate (first class) G G Italkar.

In the packed courtroom, Shivade asked for some time to speak privately to Purohit. He told the court that the ATS had not allowed his client to meet his family and lawyer, which was his constitutional right.

After the court gave him permission, Shivade spoke to Purohit alone for about 10 minutes. He then told the court that the CBI and Haryana police had interrogated and threatened him. “CBI and Harayan police threatened Purohit that they would take him into custody and kill him in an encounter. If Purohit comes to any harm, the anti-terrorism squad (ATS) should be held responsible,” he said.

He alleged that the ATS was operating on the orders of their “owners”. He said that investigations by the ATS are a part of a major political conspiracy. “Purohit has crucial information against SIMI and ISI, which has irked some anti-national elements. Police want to invoke the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Purohit. This would encourage SIMI and ISI,” he said.

Shivade said that the ATS was planting false approvers in Malegaon blast case. “The ATS has held Captain Navin Joshi who they say would be a witness against Purohit in the Malegaon blast case,” he told the court.

The advocate blasted ATS officers for scrambling the guidelines of Supreme Court. “As per the guidelines of Supreme Court, ATS officers should have made the memo of Purohit’s arrest,” he told the court.

Assistant police inspector Satish Gurav admitted he had not received the memo of arrest. He said he had revealed his identity at the Nashik court while seeking Purohit’s transit remand, and also at the Nashik jail.

Gaurav has sought Purohit’s custody for seven days. He said that Purohit got a fake gun licence for Date from Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir. “His custody is required for seizing the original copy of the licence and to know if he had provided fake gun licences to more persons,” he said. Shivade alleged that ATS has brought pressure on Date for lodging a complaint against Purohit. “ATS has failed to register an offence against Milind Date, who procured a gun with a fake licence,” he asked.

“It has been mentioned in the complaint that Purohit got a gun licence for Date in the name of Major Milind Date by submitting forged documents in 2003. Date is not an army officer and procured a weapon on the basis of the fake licence and kept silent till November 2008. Why did ATS not arrest him?” he said. “The only inference that can be drawn is that ATS put pressure on Date that if he did not give a statement against Purohit, they would file an offence against him. Date, being a coward, preferred to file a complaint of forgery and cheating against Purohit,” he alleged.