2002-03 triple blasts: HC rejects convict’s plea for suspension of sentence

The Bombay High Court, on Monday, dismissed the interim application filed by Farhan Abdul Malik Khot, a convict in the 2002-2003 triple blasts case, seeking suspension of his sentence and bail

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court, on Monday, dismissed the interim application filed by Farhan Abdul Malik Khot, a convict in the 2002-2003 triple blasts case, seeking suspension of his sentence and bail. Khot was sentenced in April 2016 to undergo ten years of rigorous imprisonment for his role in the blasts that occurred between December 2002 and March 2003, resulting in 12 fatalities and 27 injuries in the city.

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This marks yet another setback for Khot, as the court noted that similar pleas made by him in the past were also rejected. The court highlighted that Khot had previously moved several applications seeking suspension of his sentence and bail, but all were turned down. The rejection dates include October 21, 2016, April 11, 2018, September 23, 2022, and January 16, 2023.

In the recent application, Khot’s legal counsel, advocate Rebecca Gonsalvez, argued that the evidence presented by the prosecution was insufficient to link Khot to the preparation and planting of the bombs. Gonsalvez pointed to confessional statements of other accused, discrepancies in forensic reports, and the release on bail of some co-accused as grounds for Khot’s bail.

However, special public prosecutor Aruna S Pai opposed the application, emphasising the seriousness of the crime and the life imprisonment sentence imposed on Khot under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. She noted that Khot’s sentence was not subject to remissions, as confirmed by a previous order of the home department declining to prematurely release him.

The division bench of justice A S Chandurkar and justice Jitendra Jain, while rejecting Khot’s plea, upheld its previous decisions, considering the gravity of the offence and the severity of Khot’s sentence. With this high court’s decision, Khot’s legal battle continues, and he remains in custody serving his sentence for his involvement in the blasts that occurred in Mumbai over two decades ago.