Six convicted in Lajpat Nagar blast case, four acquitted

Six out of ten suspected members of banned terror outfit Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front were on Thursday convicted by a Delhi court for their varying roles in the 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast case.

New Delhi: Six out of ten suspected members of banned terror outfit Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front were on Thursday convicted by a Delhi court for their varying roles in
the 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast case.

"I convict six accused in this case. Now the matter is
fixed for April 13 for advancing of arguments on quantum of
sentence," District and Sessions Judge S P Garg said while
pronouncing the verdict in a packed court room.

Out of the ten accused, those convicted are Mohd Naushad,
Mohd Ali Bhatt, Mirza Nissar Hussain, Javed Ahmed Khan, Farooq
Ahmed Khan and a woman associate Farida Dar.

The remaining four -- Mirza Iftikhar, Latif Ahmed Waza,
Syed Maqbool Shah, and Abdul Gani -- were acquitted of all the
charges for want of sufficient evidence.

Of the six convicted, "The alleged key accused Farooq
Ahmed Khan and Farida Dar" were convicted under the lighter
provisions of Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act but
acquitted of grave charges under the IPC, the prosecution
said.

The four others were convicted under the stringent penal
provisions dealing with criminal conspiracy and murder, which
could attract maximum of death penalty, they said.

A stolen Maruti car, laden with explosives went off
around 6:30 pm on May 21, 1996 in the crowded central market
at Lajpat Nagar in south Delhi, killing 13 persons and
injuring 38 others.

The 10 accused persons, all hailing from Jammu and
Kashmir, were arrested soon after the incident when police
traced the phone calls they made to various media houses
claiming responsibility for the terror attack.

PTI

Zee News App: Read latest news of India and world, bollywood news, business updates, cricket scores, etc. Download the Zee news app now to keep up with daily breaking news and live news event coverage.