Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) Delhi Police Wednesday urged the Delhi High Court to confirm the death penalties awarded by the trial court to three militants for the 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast that killed 13 people.

Delhi Police counsel Pawan Sharma told the division bench of Justice S. Ravindra Bhat and Justice G.P. Mittal that the trial court had rightly convicted and awarded capital punishment to the three Jammu Kashmir Islamic Front (JKIF) militants.

“They carried out the blast just to create terror,” counsel said.

Sharma sought confirmation of the death sentence awarded to the three as there was ample evidence to prove their involvement in the terror act.

Documents seized from the accused after the blast showed their involvement in the terrorist attack, he said earlier.

“The witnesses’ statements also prove that all the accused were involved in the blast. The trial court has pronounced its judgment rightly. So, their appeal should be dismissed,” said Sharma.

The court was hearing the appeals of the six convicted, of whom three are on death row, for the blast in the crowded market.

The trial court in its 2010 verdict had termed the crime as a “dastardly act” that fell under the “rarest of rare” category.

Of the six convicts, Mohammed Naushad, Mohammed Ali Bhatt and Mirza Nissar Hussain were awarded death penalty. Javed Ahmed Khan, held guilty of murder, conspiracy and attempt to murder, was given life imprisonment.

Farooq Ahmed Khan and Farida Dar, held guilty under milder penal provisions, were sentenced to seven years’ jail term. However, they were released as they had already spent much more time than that in prison.

Ten people were arrested and put on trial. Besides these six, the others were Mirza Iftikhar, Latif Ahmed Waza, Syed Maqbool Shah, and Abdul Gani.