A special court handling the 2008 Jaipur bomb blast cases declared all four accused guilty on Friday. Judge Ramesh Kumar Joshi of the special court for bomb blast cases pronounced the verdict and declared the accused guilty under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances (Prohibition) Act and IPC sections. The quantum of punishment will be announced on Monday.
The decision in the Jaipur Blast cases is declared after 17 years. On 13 May, 2008, Jaipur city was rocked as nine bombs at seven locations exploded within 15 minutes.
Decision is 2008 Jaipur Bomb Blasts
The decision is pronounced on the four accused-- Shahbaz Hussain, Sarwar Azmi, Mohammad Saif and Saifurrahman-- in the live bomb case. Out of them, two accused, Saif-ur-Rehman and Mohammad Saif, are already lodged in Jaipur Central Jail, whereas Mohammad Sarwar Azmi and Shahbaz Ahmed are out on bail.
Jaipur Bomb Blast: What happened in 2008?
On May 13, 2008, Jaipur was rocked by a series of blasts as bombs went off one after another at Manak Chawk Khanda, Chandpole Gate, Badi Chaupad, Chhoti Chaupad, Tripolia Gate, Johri Bazar and Sanganeri Gate. The explosions left 71 people dead and 185 injured. Nine ammonium nitrate bombs strapped to bicycles went off within 25 minutes — between 7:20 pm and 7:45 pm — in the crowded areas. One live bomb was recovered near Ramchandra Temple, which was defused by a bomb disposal squad.
The trial in the case began in December 2008 and a total of four charge sheets were filed, the last of these in 2011. On August 8, 2020, the trial court in Jaipur acquitted one of the accused, Shahbaz Hussain alias Shahbaz Ahmed alias Shanu, who had allegedly sent an email on behalf of the terrorist outfit IM claiming responsibility for the serial blasts.
