A division bench of the Telangana High Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence awarded to five convicts in the 2013 Dilsukhnagar twin blasts case, including Yasin Bhatkal, the co-founder of the banned terrorist organization Indian Mujahideen.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Fast Track Court had awarded the death penalty to the five in 2016.
The twin blasts in Dilsukhnagar claimed 18 lives, including that of an unborn child, and injured 131 people. The main accused, Riyaz Bhatkal, remains absconding.
The division bench comprising Justice K. Lakshman and Justice P Sree Sudha dismissed the appeals filed by the convicts challenging the death sentence awarded by the NIA Special Court at Cherlapally Prison.
The bench upheld the trial court’s verdict after lengthy arguments and a detailed examination of evidence, citing the gravity of the crime and the compelling proof presented.
The arrested individuals included senior members of the Indian Mujahideen: Mohd Ahmed Siddibapa alias Yasin Bhatkal, Asadullah Akhtar, Mohd Tehseen Akhtar, Zia-ur-Rahman (a Pakistani national), and Aijaz Shaikh.
They were convicted for offences including waging war against the nation and criminal conspiracy, following the investigation and the filing of a chargesheet in March 2014, with supplementary chargesheets in September 2014 and June 2015. Yasin Bhatkal was arrested at the Indo-Nepal border and is currently lodged in Tihar Jail.
Riyaz Bhatkal, the principal accused and alleged mastermind behind the Dilsukhnagar blasts, is believed to be in Pakistan. A Red Corner Notice has been issued against him by Interpol. Riyaz is the brother of Yasin Bhatkal and has been designated as the prime accused in the case. Both hail from Karnataka.
On 21 February 2013, two bombs detonated just six seconds apart in the busy Dilsukhnagar locality. The first explosion occurred at a bus stop (Route No. 107), and the second, just 100 metres away, at Anand Tiffins Centre. Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) concealed in tiffin boxes and placed on bicycles were used to execute the blasts.
Reacting to the verdict, NIA Special Prosecutor Vishnu Vardhan Reddy said, “It was a deep-rooted conspiracy originating from Pakistan. The convicts used aliases, pseudonyms, and proxy servers to conceal their identities.”
He added that the agency relied on CCTV footage, emails, cell phone records, and eyewitness testimonies to build a watertight case. He noted that this was one of the longest trials in the state, involving nearly 5,000 pages of evidence.
