The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned, to next year, hearing on pleas filed against acquittal of four men sentenced to death by the trial court in connection with the 2008 Jaipur serial blast case.

A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai, PS Narasimha, and Aravind Kumar decided to take up, on January 8, 2024, the petitions filed by the state government and family members of blast victims against the Rajasthan High Court’s order acquitting the four.

The bench refused to relax the condition requiring the accused to register their appearance on a daily basis between 10 a.m. and 12 noon before the anti-terror squad police station in Jaipur.

In an earlier hearing, the top court had declined to stay the acquittal decision by the Rajasthan High Court saying that it cannot pass an order without hearing the accused. However, it had stayed a direction passed in the high court order, delivered on March 29, asking the state’s Director General of Police to order an inquiry against the investigating officer and other police personnel involved in the case.

The Supreme Court had directed that the four people, who were acquitted, be released unless wanted in any other case, adding that all four will surrender their passports.

The Rajasthan government and family members of the blast victims moved the apex court against the high court verdict acquitting four, namely, Mohd Saif, Saifur Rahman, Sarwar Azmi, and Mohd Salman.

In May 2008, a series of blasts rocked Jaipur, leaving 71 people dead and 185 injured. A total of 13 people were made accused in this case by the police. Three accused are still absconding, while two are lodged in jails of Hyderabad and Delhi. The remaining two were killed in the Batla House encounter in Delhi.

The four accused were lodged in Jaipur jail and were sentenced to death by the trial court.

(This article has been published via a syndicated feed)