2008 Jaipur Blast: Rajasthan High Court Acquits 4 Accused

The Rajasthan High Court recently acquitted 4 accused in the deadly 2008 serial Jaipur blasts which claimed 71 lives and left over 180 injured. In December 2019, a trial court sentenced the 4 accused to death.

The high court freed all four and asked the chief secretary to probe the investigating officer in the case.

The verdict was pronounced by the division bench of Justices Pankaj Bhandari and Sameer Jain after approving 28 appeals. The court upheld the decision of the lower court to free one of the accused, identified as Shahbaz.

The 4 accused Mohammed Salman, Mohammed Saif, Sarwar Azmi, and Saifurehman Ansari found guilty and awarded capital punishment by a trial court in 2019.

Mohammed Saif got arrested in the blast at Manak Chowk police station. Sarwar Aazmi got arrested for his role in the blast at the Chandpole Hanuman temple. Mohammad Salman was accused of carrying out blasts in the Sanganeri Hanuman temple. Saifurehman Ansari was accused of planting bombs at 5 different places.

The police registered 8 FIRs in the case, with 4 in Kotwali and 4 in Manak Chowk police station. Statements of 1,293 witnesses were recorded by the prosecution. Jaipur lawyers refused to appear on behalf of the accused. Legal Aid appointed advocates Pekar Farooq & Suresh Vyas represent the accused.

The case involved 24 witnesses produced by the defense side and 1,270 witnesses produced by the government.

Previously, Jaipur was rocked by a series of deadly blasts on May 13, 2008, at multiple locations. The explosions killed 71 people and injured 185 others. One live bomb was recovered from a school bag on a bicycle near Ramchandra Temple and was defused by a bomb disposal squad.

There, a total of 13 people were arrested by police, out of which three are currently lodged in Hyderabad and Delhi jails while 3 others are still absconding. Two were killed in the Batla House encounter and four others were sent to Jaipur jail.