All four persons, who had been given the death sentence by a trial court for the May 2008 Jaipur bomb blasts that killed 71 persons, were acquitted by the Rajasthan High Court on the 30th of March. Those acquitted of all charges were: Mohammed Saif, Mohammed Salman, Saifur and Mohammed Sarver Azmi. The State of Rajasthan plans to file an appeal against the acquittal in the Supreme Court.
The two-judge bench ruled that the prosecution had been unable to establish a conspiracy between the now-acquitted persons, pointing out that for a conspiracy to be established there had to be a meeting of minds.
The judges were of the view that nefarious means were used by the investigating agencies and even fabrication had been done during the course of the investigation. They directed the Rajasthan Director-General of Police to initiate an appropriate inquiry / disciplinary proceedings against erring officers.
Guest: Naomi Chandra, a Delhi-based lawyer with 15 years experience in litigation. She is currently a partner at Singhania &Co, where she heads the criminal litigation vertical. Ms. Chandra was also on the criminal panel of the Delhi High Court for more than seven years.
Host: Amit Baruah, Senior Associated Editor, The Hindu.
Edited by Jude Francis Weston
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