Kerala Bomb Blasts: Court Sends Accused Dominic to Jail till Nov 29

A Kerala court has sent the man arrested for the bomb blasts at a Christian religious gathering in Kerala that resulted in the deaths of three individuals and left over 50 people injured to judicial custody.

Sessions Court Judge Honey M. Varghese has ordered the accused, Dominic Martin, to remain in judicial custody until November 29.

Despite repeated offers from the court for legal aid representation, Martin has declined and has expressed his intention to represent himself. The police informed the court that they will submit an application for a Test Identification Parade before the Chief Judicial Magistrate today and subsequently seek Martin’s custody.

During the day, law enforcement officers visited Martin’s residence in Athani for evidence collection. An officer noted that the accused had worked abroad for 17 years, held a highly paid job, and was a person of considerable intelligence.

The accused is set to be transferred to the Kakkanad district jail nearby.

On Monday, the police officially recorded Martin’s arrest after he surrendered a few hours following the blasts that occurred on Sunday morning. In addition to Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (Punishment for murder) and Section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act, relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) have also been invoked against the accused.

The explosions took place at a convention center in Kalamassery near Kochi, where a prayer meeting of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Christian religious group with origins in the US in the 19th century, was being held on Sunday. Shortly thereafter, Martin, who claimed to be an estranged member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, surrendered to the police in Thrissur district, confessing to carrying out the multiple blasts.

Before turning himself in, he posted a video on social media explaining his motives for the bombings. On Sunday evening, a 21-member special investigation team (SIT) of the Kerala Police, led by ADGP Ajith Kumar, was formed to investigate the case.

Initially, one woman lost her life, and over 50 individuals sustained injuries, six of them in critical condition, due to the blasts. Subsequently, one of the six critically injured victims, a 53-year-old woman, succumbed to her injuries. By Monday morning, the death toll had risen to three following the passing of a 12-year-old girl who had suffered 95% burns in the incident. Currently, 21 people are receiving medical treatment in various healthcare facilities, with three of them in critical condition.