Nearly 27 years after a bomb explosion in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar market killed 13 people and injured 38 others, the Supreme Court delivered a life sentence to four convicts, ruling that they carried out an “international conspiracy” to “destabilise” India through the blast. However, the court did not agree with the prosecution’s demand for the death penalty and instead sentenced the convicts to life imprisonment without the possibility of remission.
The bench, consisting of Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, and Sanjay Karol, detailed the severity of the offence in its 190-page judgment but cited the delay in the case as a mitigating factor for not awarding the death penalty. The incident occurred on May 21, 1996, and the trial court passed the death sentence on April 22, 2010. The court noted that the delay of 27 years in the case and 14 years in the trial court were significant mitigating circumstances.
Given the gravity of the offence and the role played by each accused, the court sentenced all four convicts – Mohd Naushad, Mirza Nissar Hussain alias Naza, Mohd Ali Bhatt alias Killey, and Javed Ahmed Khan – to imprisonment for life without remission, extending to natural life. The court ordered Mirza Nissar Hussain and Mohd Ali Bhatt, who were previously acquitted by the Delhi High Court, to surrender and serve the life term.
The Supreme Court criticized the delay in the trial, stating that it compromised national interest. It emphasized the need for expeditious trials, especially in cases involving national security and the common man. The court expressed dismay at the lack of promptitude and attention given to the case, suggesting the involvement of influential persons since only a few of the accused were put on trial.
The verdict extensively discussed the circumstantial evidence, facts related to the recovery of evidence, and the arrests of the convicts. It emphasized the importance of handling such cases with urgency and sensitivity at all levels.
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