Keywords: Lajpat Nagar Case, Life Imprisonment, Supreme Court,
1996 Bomb Blast, 27 Years
In a ruling on Thursday, the Supreme Court of India affirmed the guilt of two individuals involved in the 1996 Lajpat Nagar bomb blast case and imposed life imprisonment without the possibility of release. Additionally, the court reinstated the convictions of two other individuals who had previously been acquitted by the Delhi High Court and sentenced them to life imprisonment for the duration of their lives.
The appeals filed by Mohammed Naushad and Javed Ahmed Khan, challenging their conviction and sentence, were being heard by a bench comprising Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, and Sanjay Karol. Additionally, the State had filed special leave petitions to challenge the Delhi High Court’s decision to commute Naushad’s death sentences. The Supreme Court restored the petitions and sentenced Naushad and Khan to life imprisonment for the remainder of their natural lives. The same bench of Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, and Sanjay Karol presided over these proceedings.
After a long period of 27 years since the terror attack, the Supreme Court has made a definitive decision regarding the four convicts involved. In the case of Naushad and Khan, their appeals to overturn their convictions were dismissed by the division bench. However, the bench did accept the State’s plea. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court refused to reinstate the death sentences that had been initially handed down by the lower court.[1]
Background- In 1996, a devastating bomb blast occurred in the Lajpat Nagar Central Market in Delhi, resulting in the loss of 13 lives, injuring 38 people, and causing significant property damage. Shortly after the incident, the Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front (JKIF), which is classified as a “terrorist organization” under Section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, claimed responsibility for the attack. As per the charge sheet, the conspiracy was masterminded by Bilal Ahmed Beg, the chief of JKIF, with involvement from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) based in Pakistan. The Delhi Police not only arrested six suspected Kashmiri militants and two other individuals, including a woman, but also implicated mafia figures Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Menon as accused in connection with the bomb blast.
Written by- Lisa Gupta, NUSRL, Ranchi, Semester 3, an intern under Legal Vidhiya
[1] Live Law https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/supreme-court-sc-four-accused-1996-lajpat-nagar-bomb-blast-case-life-imprisonment-without-remission-232049 Last visited: 06/07/2023 5:20pm
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