JAIPUR: In a significant development in the 17-year-old Jaipur serial bomb blasts case, a special court has pronounced its verdict regarding the live bomb recovered near the Ramchandra Temple in Chandpole Bazaar. The court has sentenced four terrorists—Saifurrahman, Mohammad Saif, Mohammad Sarwar Azmi, and Shahbaz Ahmed—to rigorous life imprisonment.Earlier, on April 4, the special court for bomb blast cases had convicted all four accused in the case. The detailed verdict spans 600 pages.The incident dates back to May 13, 2008, when a series of eight bomb blasts rocked Jaipur, killing 71 people and injuring 185. A ninth bomb, found live near a guest house in Chandpole Bazaar, was defused just 15 minutes before it could explode, averting further tragedy.The court found the four convicts guilty under two sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and three sections of the Explosive Substances Act. All these sections carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested the accused in connection with the live bomb recovery case on December 25, 2019, while they were already in jail for their involvement in the serial blasts. The ATS filed a supplementary charge sheet in the case, adding three new witnesses.During the trial, statements of 112 witnesses were recorded, including senior journalist Prashant Tandon, former ADG Arvind Kumar, and bicycle mechanic Dinesh Mahawar, who reportedly played a key role in identifying the suspicious bicycle used in the attack.
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