SC denies bail to 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast convict to attend daughter's wedding
The 1996 blasts had killed 13 persons and left more than 38 injured
The convict in the 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast case was denied interim bail or parole in custody to attend his daughter’s wedding by the Supreme Court, which remarked that those accused of such heinous crimes cannot expect leniency from the courts.
“This is such a heinous crime. Those who carry out such activities must realise that this is the end of the families. You can’t kill citizens indiscriminately and say I have my family, my sons, my daughters etc,” a bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar told petitioner Mohad Naushad’s counsel Siddharth Dave.
Naushad is facing life sentence in connection with the case. The 1996 blasts had killed 13 persons and left more than 38 injured. He approached the top court with a plea for a month’s interim bail to attend his daughter’s wedding. Alternatively, he requested the court for parole in custody.
However, Justice Khehar was not impressed and told Dave that Naushad was accused of killing citizens indiscriminately.
“You cannot have both. Either this or that. If you want to kill discriminately you cannot say family. Once you kill, that’s the end of your family,” he observed.
Dave pointed out his client had already spent over 20 years in custody. Naushad had already undergone a sentence for carrying explosives under the Arms and Explosives Act, the court was told. Dave argued Naushad was only a conspirator and not the main accused.
CBI lawyer Lawyer PK Dey resisted the plea on the ground that the agency had challenged the life-term punishment and sought enhancement to death.
The CJI agreed with him, and dismissed Naushad’s bail plea. Dave mentioned the recent Delhi lower court’s judgement acquitting the two key accused in the Sarojini Nagar blast case. He claimed there was no direct evidence against him. However, even this order did not cut ice.
