Delhi court grants bail to Kashmiri man in 1996 Lajpat Nagar bomb blast case

Delhi, July 24: A Delhi court has granted regular bail to a Kashmiri resident, an accused in the 1996 Lajpat Nagar bomb blast case. The accused was arrested 28 years after the blast incident. He was declared a proclaimed offender on February 19. 1997, and was arrested on July 9, 2024.

Pertinently on May 21, 1996, a powerful bomb blast took place in Lajpat Nagar market, that killed more than a dozen people and left several others injured. The Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front (JKIF) had claimed the responsibility for the blast.

On Tuesday the Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur granted bail to Mehraj-ud-Din Bhta, alias Zubair. The court imposed several conditions, including that the accused shall not leave the country without the permission of the court.

On being asked, the IO informed the court that nothing incriminating has come on record in the examination of two co-accused, namely Farida Dar alias Behehji and Latif Ahmad Waza. His name appeared in the disclosure statement of these two co-assued. Accused Mehraj-ud-Din has been a permanent employee of the Institute of Management & Public Administration, since 1989.

The court noted that on April 8, 2010, accused Farida Dar was acquitted of the charge of conspiracy and Latif Ahmed Waza was acquitted of all the charges.

Advocate Kartik Venu appeared for accused Mehraj-ud-Din. It was submitted that the accused is innocent and is not at flight risk. He has been an employee of a government institution since 1989.

It was also submitted that he was alleged to be part of the conspiracy. His name appeared in the disclosure statements of Farida Dar and Latif Ahmed Waza. The accused is in no position to hamper the investigation, as all the evidence is documentary.

In this case, initially, an FIR was registered at Police Station Lajpat Nagar. Later on, the investigation was transferred to the special cell.

In this case, out of 17 accused, four were convicted, six were acquitted, six were declared proclaimed offenders, and one accused has already expired.