Delhi HC blast: Court upholds 3-year remand for minor

A Delhi court on Wednesday upheld a Juvenile Justice Board order sentencing a minor involved in the 2011 Delhi High Court blast to three years' in a special home.

Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Pandit upheld the Juvenile Justice Board order delivered on July 9, 2014.

At least 15 people were killed and 79 injured on September 7, 2011, in the explosion outside Gate Number 5 of the court complex here.

The sessions court found the juvenile guilty of offences under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with Sections 121 (waging war against the country), 121 A (conspiracy to commit waging war), 122 (collecting arms for waging war), 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 436 (mischief by explosive substance), and 440 (mischief committed for causing death) of the Indian Penal Code and under various section of the Explosive Substances Act.

But the court acquitted him of the charges dealing with Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Acts.

The board had held the juvenile guilty of the offences under various section dealing with criminal conspiracy with waging war against the country, murder, attempt to murder, voluntarily causing hurt and provisions of Explosive substance Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has claimed that the minor was responsible for sending an email to media houses claiming responsibility for the blast and also threatening to cause more bomb blasts at other courts, if Afzal Guru (prime accused in the 2001 Parliament House attack) was hanged.

According to the NIA, the email was sent by the juvenile from Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir.

The NIA in March 2012 filed a chargesheet against six accused, including Wasim Akram Malik, Amir Abbas Dev and a minor. Malik and Dev were arrested in September 2011.

Later, Dev turned approver in the case.

The other accused in the case are Malik's brother and alleged Hizb-ul Mujahideen terrorist Junaid Akram Malik, Shakir Hussain Seikh alias Chhota Hafiz and Amir Kamal. Malik is on the run while other two were killed in a gunbattle with security force.

--IANS

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