2008 Jaipur explosions: All 4 accused convicted in live bomb detection case

Jaipur, April 4 (IANS) A special court on Friday convicted all four accused individuals in connection with the serial bomb blasts that rocked Jaipur on May 13, 2008. A live bomb was discovered near a temple in the Chandpole area, just minutes before the coordinated explosions occurred across the city.

Special Court Judge Ramesh Kumar Joshi delivered the verdict, stating that the sentence will be pronounced on April 8.

While the accused have been acquitted of sedition charges under Section 124(A) of the IPC, they have been found guilty under other sections related to the case. On May 13, 2008, eight bombs exploded in quick succession across Jaipur’s Chardiwari area, claiming 72 lives and injuring over 200 people.

A ninth bomb, planted on a bicycle near a guest house in Chandpole Market, was discovered and defused just 15 minutes before the blasts, preventing further casualties.

All four accused -- Mohammad Saif, Saifurrahman, Mohammad Sarwar Azmi, and Shahbaz Ahmed -- have now been convicted in this separate case concerning the live bomb.

Notably, these same individuals were earlier sentenced to death in 2019 by the special court for their involvement in the Jaipur blasts. However, in March 2023, the Rajasthan High Court acquitted them, citing significant lapses in the investigation.

The state government has since challenged that decision in the Supreme Court, where the case remains pending.

Following the acquittal, the Rajasthan government registered a fresh case related to the live bomb found in Chandpole and arrested the four accused again.

In the latest trial, the prosecution presented 112 witnesses and submitted around 1,200 documents as evidence.

Among the key witnesses was bicycle mechanic Dinesh Mahawar, who testified that one of the accused had brought a bicycle for repair, which was later found to be rigged with explosives.

Other notable witnesses included journalist Prashant Tandon and former ADG Arvind Kumar Jain.

The High Court, in its 2023 ruling, held that the prosecution had failed to establish who had actually planted the bomb-laden bicycles, and it strongly criticised the investigative agencies for their procedural lapses.

This led to the acquittal of all four accused in the main blast cases.

However, their conviction in the live bomb case has given a new turn to the prolonged legal battle surrounding one of the deadliest terror attacks in Rajasthan’s history, said lawyers.

--IANS

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