Delhi HC blast: Minor gets three years in special home

The Juvenile Justice Board Wednesday gave sentence of three years' stay in a special home to a minor, involved in the 2011 Delhi High Court blast, NIA sources said.

The board, presided over by Principal Magistrate Vishal Singh sentenced the minor to three years' stay in a special home after holding him guilty in the Sep 7, 2011, blast case.

Fifteen people were killed and 79 others injured in the explosion outside gate number 5 of the court complex.

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

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) claimed 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 (the prime accused of the Dec 13, 2001, Parliament attack) was hanged.

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

The NIA said in its release that July 7, the board after hearing the matter, held the juvenile involved in the commission of the offences under Sections 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 sections of the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The NIA in March 2012 filed a charge sheet against six accused, including Wasim Akram Malik, Amir Abbas Dev and the minor.

Malik and Dev were arrested in September 2011.

The other accused in the case are Malik's brother and alleged Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Junaid Akram Malik, Shakir Hussain Sheikh alias Chhota Hafiz, and Amir Kamal. Malik is on the run while the other two were killed Dec 20, 2012, in a gun battle with security forces in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.