Patna: In a significant ruling, the Patna High Court has commuted the death sentences of four terrorists to life imprisonment in connection with the serial blasts that targeted the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s Hunkar rally at Gandhi Maidan on 27th October 2013. The blasts, which occurred just 100 meters from Modi’s stage, had shaken the packed rally, leaving several people injured.
The lower court had earlier sentenced the four convicts to death and two others to life imprisonment. However, the High Court upheld the life sentences for the remaining two convicts, while converting the death penalty for the four accused to life imprisonment.
Speaking on the verdict, Special Public Prosecutor (PP) for the NIA, Manoj Kumar Singh, expressed satisfaction, stating, “This is a very good decision. The court reduced the death sentences to life imprisonment, taking into account the young age of the accused, all of whom are between 30 and 35 years old. We had argued on the seriousness of the incident, but the court emphasized that these individuals have the right to live, given their age.”
The division bench of Justice Ashutosh Kumar delivered the verdict. Numan Ansari, Mohammad Majibullah, Haider Ali, and Imtiaz Alam, who were initially sentenced to death by the lower court, will now serve life imprisonment. Meanwhile, the life sentences of Umair Siddiqui and Azharuddin Qureshi, imposed by the lower court, were upheld by the High Court.
Defence lawyer Imran Ghani, representing the convicts, indicated that they plan to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court. “We will appeal the High Court’s decision,” Ghani said, signaling the legal battle may continue.
On 27th October 2013, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held its Hunkar rally at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, where Narendra Modi, then the party’s prime ministerial candidate, was the keynote speaker. As Modi took the stage, the packed ground was rocked by serial blasts, which occurred in close proximity to the gathering. Despite intelligence warnings of a potential terrorist attack, authorities initially downplayed the blasts as firecrackers to prevent panic. Emergency responders worked swiftly to evacuate the injured without causing chaos, but the gravity of the situation became evident as Modi urged the crowd to return home safely amid the wail of ambulance sirens.
The blasts led to a major investigation, which culminated in the sentencing of six individuals in connection with the attack.
