Reinvestigate Jaipur bomb blasts case, punish cops for 'slipshod' investigation: PUCL

Counterview Desk
Welcoming the judgement of the Rajasthan High court acquitting innocents and rejecting the death penalty in the 2008 Jaipur bomb blasts, which killed 74 people, the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Rajasthan, has demanded fresh investigation and compensation against "wrongful incarceration."
Insisting that the police team fabricated cases against innocents and conducted slipshod investigation in the 2008 Jaipur bomb blasts case, PUCL said in a statement, "Fresh investigation should be ordered to ensure justice to the kin of the 74 killed and 150 injured".
It added, compensation should be given to the "five acquitted for the loss of 15 years of their lives, which they spent in jail as their families suffered the ignominy of association with 'terrorists'."

Text:

The PUCL welcomes the judgment of Justice Pankaj Bhandari and Sameer Jain of the Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur bench, in the Jaipur bomb blast cases. On May 13, 2008, nine synchronous blasts occurred in the state capital in a span of 15 minutes. The judgment delivered today, 29th March, 2023, dealt with 28 cases including four death sentences earlier ordered by a trial court that convicted these men. The High Court acquitted all accused and rejected the death penalty and other punishments given by the special court (bomb blast) to the four: Saifur Rehman, Mohammed Saif, Mohammed Salman and Mohammed Sarwar. The court also rejected the prosecution’s appeal of enhancement of sentence against the four for some of the cases, along with dismissing the appeal of the prosecution against the acquittal of Shahbaz Ahmed by the special court (bomb blast), upholding the special court’s judgment.
The court has rightly identified the numerous flaws in the investigation. The decision of the trial court, based on the chain of circumstances presented by the prosecution, nowhere showed the corresponding evidence, the court said. The judgment talks of gaping holes in the investigation, reiterating the point of slipshod work by the police. In 2008 itself, many civil society organisations raised the issue of false arrests and framing of young men of the Muslim community as terrorists. They also consisted a national tribunal on framing innocents in the Jaipur bomb blasts.
Expressing outrage and calling it shoddy and incomplete, the Rajasthan High Court Jaipur bench came down harshly on the Rajasthan police team responsible for the investigation and ordered the DGP to hold an enquiry and identify the police personnel responsible, adding that the guilty police personnel must face punishment. Taking exception to the prosecution’s case, it also added that the heinous crimes which killed over 74 people should have been properly investigated and impeccable evidence provided so that the guilty were punished. Instead, either the wrong culprits were arrested or if they were indeed culprits, arrests were done sans evidence. Excerpts of the judgement read by the court showed extensive lapses.

PUCL appeals to the State of Rajasthan to not move for stay against the acquittal, instead facilitate release of the four from jail

The PUCL is particularly grateful to the team of lawyers of the five (four convicted and one acquitted), who showed the court the lapses in investigation to substantiate how it was bad in law to accept the conclusions of the investigation. PUCL records its appreciation of the work of senior counsels, Nitya Ramakrishnan, Tridip Pais, and advocates, Mr. Ashok Agarwal Siri Singh, Harsh Bohra, Rajat, Vibhor Jain Mujahid Ahmad, Nishant Vyas, SS Ali and others.

The PUCL demands:

Immediate action against the police who fabricated cases against the five, who spent 15 years in jail due to a delayed trial and a bad judgement of the trial court.
Just compensation from the Government of Rajasthan for the false case, which caused these innocent young men to lose 15 years of life. Their families suffered the stigma of having produced “terrorists”. In 2008 when the four were arrested, except for Shahbaz, all were under twenty-five. Salman had not yet turned 18. The High Court has upheld Salman’s juvenility and calling It erroneous, rejected the order of the additional district judge who set aside the JJ Board order confirming Salman’s age as being under 18 years. For a maximum punishment of 3 years for being a juvenile on conviction, Salman spent 15 years behind bars. It is imperative that all be compensated.
Fresh investigation in the 2008 bomb blast cases so that justice is delivered to the kin of the 74 deceased and the more than 150 injured that ill fateful day.

The PUCL also appeals to the State of Rajasthan to not move for a stay against the acquittal, and instead facilitate the release of the four from jail. Shahbaz was released almost two years ago.
PUCL will offer a more detailed analysis of the judgement once it is uploaded on the Rajasthan High court website.

Comments

Anonymous said…

Shameless Bigoted Marxist Jihadist Mob victim-shaming hindus

April 27, 2023

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Labour unrest in Manesar trigger tensions: Recently enacted labour codes blamed

By A Representative A civil rights coalition has expressed concern over recent developments in the industrial hub of Manesar in Haryana, where a series of labour actions and police responses have drawn attention. A statement, released by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), said it stood in solidarity with workers in IMT Manesar and other parts of the country, while also alleging instances of police excess during ongoing unrest.

Search This Blog