In a recent ruling, the Telangana High Court confirmed the death sentences for five individuals involved in the 2013 Dilsukhnagar bomb blasts, which resulted in 18 deaths and injuries to 131 others. The court dismissed the criminal appeals filed by the convicts, upholding the judgment previously delivered by the NIA Special Court in December 2016.
The five individuals, identified as Ahmed Siddibappa Zarrar (also known as Yasin Bhatkal), Ajaz Shaikh, Zia Ur Rahman (also known as Waqas), Asadullah Akhtar (also known as Haddi), and Mohammed Tahseen Akhtar (also known as Hassan), were found guilty of orchestrating the deadly attacks. The blasts occurred back-to-back near a busy bus stop and a popular street vendor area in Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad, creating havoc and a climate of fear among the local population.
Advocate Mohd Shujaullah Khan, representing one of the convicts, expressed his intent to challenge the High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court. “The judgment copy has not yet been provided, but we plan to file an appeal as we have faith in our country’s justice system,” said Advocate Khan.
The NIA’s investigation traced the execution of the bombings to these five men, allegedly operatives of the Indian Mujahideen terrorist group. Despite the convictions and the upholding of the death penalties, Mohd Riyaz, alias Riyaz Bhatkal, who is also implicated in the case, remains at large.
