New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said it will challenge the acquittal of Abdul Karim Tunda in the 1993 serial train blasts case before the Supreme Court, news agency PTI reported.
The central agency further said that so far, 12 individuals have been convicted in the case, including Irfan and Hamir-Ul-Uddin, who were sentenced to life imprisonment by Judge Mahaveer Prasad Gupta of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court. However, Tunda was acquitted by the same judge.
Officials stated that they are currently examining the judgment and are preparing to file an appeal in the Supreme Court.
The 1993 blasts shook six long-distance trains, including the Rajdhani Express, across Lucknow, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Surat, and Mumbai during the night of December 5-6. The explosions resulted in two fatalities and 22 injuries. Following the incident, the CBI took over the investigation, registering five separate FIRs.
"A criminal conspiracy was uncovered during the investigation, with the objective of destabilising the government, spreading terror among the public, and sowing discord among various communities by carrying out acts of terrorism, such as bomb explosions on trains across the country, coinciding with the first anniversary of the demolition of a structure in Ayodhya," a CBI spokesperson stated in a release on Friday.
The agency had filed charge sheets against 21 accused individuals, 15 of whom were handed life sentences 20 years back by a TADA court in Ajmer on February 28, 2004. The Supreme Court upheld the sentences of 10 of these convicts.
Abdul Karim Tunda, a close associate of wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, was implicated in the blasts aimed at commemorating the first anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition. He was arrested in 2013 near the India-Nepal border.
"On February 29, 2024, the TADA Court in Ajmer delivered its verdict, sentencing Hameer-UL-Uddin and Irfan Ahmed to life imprisonment while acquitting Abdul Karim Tunda," the CBI spokesperson said.
During the trial, the CBI conducted a thorough investigation, gathering corroborative evidence that contributed to the conviction of 12 accused individuals.
"The court has absolved Abdul Karim Tunda of all charges pressed against him. He has been deemed entirely innocent, acquitted of every section of every Act. The prosecution failed to furnish sufficient evidence to substantiate the charges," said Tunda's counsel, Shafquatullah Sultani, during a press briefing in Ajmer.