1996 Rajasthan blast: SC sets aside death penalty of convict, acquits life

Three decades after a blast in a bus in Rajasthan’s Dausa district killed 14 people, the Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside a convict’s death penalty and ordered a fresh trial by a designated court. It also acquitted a lifer and dismissed the state government’s appeals against the acquittal of six persons by the high court.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta set aside the 2019 judgement of the Rajasthan High Court on death row convict Abdul Hameed citing ineffective assistance by his counsel.

Taking note of the passage of time since the May 22, 1996 blast in a bus going from Agra to Bikaner, the court directed a new trial designated by the high court chief justice. The endeavour should be to complete the trial in a year, the apex court said.

It said Hameed, a doctor, will be allowed a lawyer of his choice and the court will be presided over by a senior judge with considerable experience of conducting session court trials.

Besides, the bench acquitted Pappu alias Salim, who was awarded life term by the trial court, and dismissed the state government’s appeals against the acquittal of six persons by the high court.

The high court had upheld the death penalty awarded to Abdul Hameed, saying he was the key person behind planting the bomb in the bus. It also upheld the life term awarded to Pappu alias Salim, holding him to be responsible for supplying the explosives.

On December 2, 2019, the top court stayed the execution of the death penalty to Hameed.

In its July 22, 2019 ruling, the Rajasthan High Court acquitted six persons — five Jammu and Kashmir natives Javed Khan, Latif Ahmed, Mohammad Ali Bhatt, Mirja Nissa Hussain and Abdul Ghani, and Rais Beg from Agra.

It also upheld the acquittal of Farukh Ahmed Khan by the Bandikui court in the case earlier in 2014.

The State Government challenged the acquittal of Khan as well, but the high court bench dismissed the appeal against him.

Hameed was also alleged to be a key accused in the case related to planting of bombs in the Sawai Mansingh Stadium of Jaipur on January 26, 1996.