On Thursday, March 30, days after the Rajasthan High Court exonerated four defendants charged in connection with the fatal 2008 Jaipur serial bombings, TOI cited experts as opining that they will face a second trial tied to the same terror act and there are high chances that they could face an appeal against their acquittal in this trial.
The experts further confirmed that if the state government appeals the high court’s decision and the Supreme Court issues an interim stay on the acquittal of the four accused, they will remain in jail until the petition is heard.
The case in which the Rajasthan High Court acquitted the four accused namely, Mohammed Salman, Mohammed Saif, Sarwar Azmi, and Saifurehman Ansari on Wednesday (March 29) pertained to a sequence of deadly bomb blasts that had rocked several areas in Jaipur, including two Hanuman Temples. These blasts resulted in the deaths of 71 individuals and injuries to 185 others. A live explosive device, found in a school bag on a bicycle near Ramchandra Temple, was safely defused by a bomb disposal unit.
Police arrested 13 individuals, three of whom are currently being held in Hyderabad and Delhi jails, while three others remain at large. Two individuals were killed during the Batla House encounter, and four others were transferred to Jaipur jail.
There were eight FIRs registered by the police in the case, four at Kotwali and four at Manak Chowk police stations. In this case, the defence had presented 24 witnesses, while the government produced 1,270 witnesses. The aforementioned 4 accused were found guilty and awarded capital punishment by a trial court in 2019.
However, on Wednesday, all four individuals were released by the high court, and the chief secretary was instructed to probe the investigating officer.
Wednesday’s verdict drew flak for the state government and the ATS, especially from CM Ashok Gehlot’s estranged former deputy Sachin Pilot who said, “Everyone knows how the blasts were orchestrated. If those caught, convicted and sentenced to death by the lower court get acquitted due to a poor investigation, then it is a very serious matter. Action should be taken against those responsible.”
Pilot urged the state government to immediately appeal the acquittal in the apex court.
Following the barrage of criticisms, senior officials said they were examining the high court’s acquittal order and seeking legal opinion on the way forward.
