SC upholds conviction of ten in 1993 serial bombings in Rajdhani Express trains: 4 acquitted [Read Judgment]

The Supreme Court has upheld conviction of ten persons by TADA Court, in 1993 Rajdhani Express Serial Blast case. Apex Court bench comprising of Justices Fakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla and Uday Umesh Lalit acquitted 4 accused who were convicted by the TADA court.

Originally sixteen accused persons were tried for having committed offences under TADA Act and other enactments. One escaped from custody while the trial was going on and therefore his case was separated. He was later arrested in June, 2015 and is now being proceeded against separately. Another accused though convicted and sentenced by the Designated Court was found to be juvenile on the date of occurrence in this appeal and as such his case stands separated. Other accused were convicted by the TADA Court in Rajasthan. All these 14 accused appealed to Apex Court

Disposing of the appeal filed by 14 convicts, the Court held “Summing up, the case of the prosecution, in our considered view stands fully established as against A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A7, A11, A14, A15 and A16. We hold them guilty of the offences with which they were charged and while dismissing their appeals maintain their conviction and sentence as recorded by the Designated Court. The appeals in so far as Accused Nos. 8, Page 107 107 9, 10 and 13 are allowed and their conviction and sentence is set aside. The Accused Nos. 8, 9, 10 and 13 shall be set at liberty, unless their custody is required in any other matter.”

Bombs blasts had taken place in six Rajdhani Express trains across the country on the intervening night of December 5 and 6, 1993 in which two persons were killed and several others were injured.A blast occurred in Rajdhani Express running from New Delhi to Howrah on December 12, 1993 near Kanpur Railway station in which two persons were injured. Another blast took place in the wee hours of December 6 in Rajdhani Express running from Howrah to New Delhi in Kanpur division in which no injury had taken place.At about 7:05 a.m. on December 6, 1993, a bomb exploded in AP Express running from Hyderabad to Nizamuddin in general compartment while the train was at Moula Ali Railway Station in which two persons had died.

Read the Judgment here.