Hyderabad, April 8: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday upheld the death penalty awarded to five convicts in the 2013 Dilsukhnagar bomb blast case, dismissing the criminal appeal petitions filed against the verdict of the NIA Special Court.
The twin blasts, which occurred on February 21, 2013, at 6:58 PM within seconds of each other, killed 18 people and injured 131 others. One explosion took place at a crowded bus stop, while the second detonated near the A1 Mirchi Centre in Dilsukhnagar.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which probed the case, secured the convictions in December 2016. The five convicts—Ahmed Siddibappa Zarrar alias Yasin Bhatkal, Ajaz Shaikh, Zia Ur Rahman alias Waqas, Asadullah Akthar alias Haddi, and Mohammed Tahseen Akthar alias Hassan—were identified as operatives of the Indian Mujahideen. The first accused, Mohd Riyaz alias Riyaz Bhatkal, remains absconding.
Following the High Court’s ruling, legal counsel for one of the convicts, Advocate Mohd Shujaullah Khan, confirmed their intention to approach the Supreme Court. “The High Court has confirmed the judgment of the trial court. As the counsel for accused number 6, we will definitely file an appeal in the Supreme Court. We believe in the justice system and are waiting for the certified copy of the judgment, which the court has assured will be available today,” he told ANI.
The criminal appeal, filed in 2016, had sought to overturn the NIA court’s verdict delivered on December 13, 2016.
