On Wednesday, the Rajasthan High Court exonerated four suspects who were charged in connection with the fatal 2008 Jaipur serial bombings, which resulted in the loss of 71 lives and caused over 180 injuries. The four accused had been sentenced to death by a trial court in December 2019.
In 2019, a trial court convicted the four defendants, Mohammed Salman, Mohammed Saif, Sarwar Azmi, and Saifurehman Ansari, and sentenced them to death.
However, all four individuals were released by the high court on Wednesday, and the chief secretary was instructed to probe the investigating officer.
After considering 28 appeals, a division bench of Justices Pankaj Bhandari and Sameer Jain delivered the verdict, affirming the lower court’s ruling to release one of the defendants, Shahbaz.
Mohammed Saif was apprehended for his involvement in the Manak Chowk police station bombing, while Sarwar Azmi was taken into custody for his participation in the Chandpole Hanuman temple explosion. Mohammad Salman faced allegations of conducting the blasts at Sanganeri Hanuman temple, and Saifurehman Ansari was accused of planting bombs at five distinct locations.
There were eight FIRs registered by the police in the case, four at Kotwali and four at Manak Chowk police stations. The prosecution recorded statements from 1,293 witnesses. Jaipur lawyers declined to represent the accused, prompting the appointment of Legal Aid lawyers Pekar Farooq and Suresh Vyas to act as their advocates.
In this case, the defence presented 24 witnesses, while the government produced 1,270 witnesses.
On May 13, 2008, several locations, including two Hanuman Temples, in Jaipur were struck by a sequence of fatal bombings. 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 a total of 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.