The Patna High Court on Wednesday commuted the death sentences of four accused, involved in the 2013 serial blasts case, to life imprisonment.
The blasts took place at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan during an election rally being addressed by Narendra Modi who was the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The judgment was delivered by a single bench of Justice Ashutosh Kumar, who reviewed the earlier ruling of the Special NIA Court.
Imran Ghani, the defence lawyer representing the accused, confirmed the High Court’s decision to convert the death sentence to life imprisonment.
“In the Gandhi Maidan bomb blast case, the Patna High Court revised the verdict originally given by the Special NIA Court, which had sentenced four of the accused to death. The High Court, under the single bench of Justice Ashutosh Kumar, converted these death sentences to life imprisonment for a term of 30 years. The life imprisonment sentences for two other accused were upheld,” Ghani said.
The serial blasts, which occurred on October 27, 2013, had caused widespread panic and resulted in several casualties.
The explosions, which also targeted the Patna railway station, resulted in the deaths of six people and injuries to over 80 others.
The case, initially investigated by the Patna Police, was later handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The NIA identified 10 individuals involved, nine of whom were found guilty.
The convicted individuals are believed to be members of the Indian Mujahideen and the Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). The accused are currently imprisoned in Patna’s Beur jail.
The nine accused were identified as Imtiaz Ansari, Haider Ali, Nawaj Ansari, Muzmullah, Umer Siddiqi, Azher Kuresi, Ahmad Hussain, Feroz Aslam and Iftikhar Alam. Another accused Faqeuddin was acquitted by the NIA due to lack of evidence.
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