Patna (Bihar): The Patna High Court on Wednesday commuted the death sentence of four persons, convicted in the 2013 Patna serial blasts case, to life imprisonment.
A division bench of Justice Ashutosh Kumar pronounced the big decision after hearing their appeal through a defence counsel.
The blast took place on October 27, 2013, at the Gandhi Maidan, Patna, during an election rally addressed by Narendra Modi, who was Gujarat Chief Minister then. At least six people were killed in the incident, and 80 others were injured, including several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers. The rally was reportedly attended by hundreds and thousands of people.
The death sentences awarded by a trial court to convicts Haider Ali, Mohammad Majibullah, Numan Ansari, and Imtiaz Alam have been converted by the HC to 30 years imprisonment. On the other hand, the life imprisonment of the two more accused, Omar and Azharuddin, has been upheld by the trial court in the case.
Imran Ghani, the counsel representing the convicts, said he would appeal in the Supreme Court so that his clients walk free from jail. He said a total of 11 people were tried in this case, including a juvenile, who was sentenced to 3 years. Another accused, Fakruddin, was acquitted due to lack of evidence, while accused Iftikhar Alam, Firoz Aslam, and Ahmed Hussain were given lesser punishment, he added.
Notably, the main witness in the case was Dharmanath Yadav, who was working as a coolie, who declared the decision as "wrong." Yadav said his testimonies were not respected.
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