Jaipur: The four men who were acquitted by the Rajasthan High Court earlier this week in the 2008 Jaipur serial blasts case are yet to be set free as a related case is pending against them in a trial court, officials said.
The pending case pertains to the recovery of an unexploded bomb after the serial blasts in Jaipur which had claimed 71 lives and left 185 injured.
Their lawyer S S Ali said a bail application of the four will be moved in the trial court on Monday.
On Wednesday, the Rajasthan High Court acquitted Mohammad Saif, Mohammad Salman, Saifur and Mohammad Sarvar Azmi, who were given the death sentence by a lower court in December 2019 for the serial blasts, and slammed the investigating agencies for their “shoddy investigation”.
It also affirmed the acquittal of a fifth accused, Shahbaz Hussain, by the trial court.
While Shahbaz Hussain is currently on bail, the four are lodged in a jail in Jaipur.
According to lawyer Ali, a charge sheet in the bomb recovery case was filed against the five men.
They have been charged under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 124-A (sedition) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and relevant provisions of the Explosives Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
In the serial blasts case, the trial court had awarded capital punishment to the four and acquitted Shahbaz Hussain in December 2019. The state government had filed an appeal against his acquittal. At the same time, the four challenged the verdict in the high court.
Jaipur was rocked by a series of blasts on May 13, 2008 when bombs went off one after another at Manak Chawk Khanda, Chandpole Gate, Badi Chaupad, Chhoti Chaupad, Tripolia Gate, Johri Bazar and Sanganeri Gate.
The explosions in the evening left 71 people dead and 185 injured.
One live bomb was recovered near Ramchandra Temple which was defused by a bomb disposal squad. The case which is currently going on is related to this.
Meanwhile, the state government will challenge the high court verdict in the Supreme court, a government counsel has said.
BJP national general secretary and state in-charge Arun Singh targeted the Congress government over the acquittal of the four, saying that it happened due to weak prosecution.
“Seventy-one people lost their lives and hundreds of people were injured. Many affected families are still struggling but the Rajasthan government could not field big lawyers in the court and could not follow the whole matter properly,” he told reporters in the party office here.
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