1996 bomb blast verdict deferred till April 8

A city court deferred till April 8 its verdict in the 1996 bomb blast that took place in Lajpat Nagar here, killing 13 people.

Khalil Ansari, counsel for the 10 accused hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, said as the decision on the final judgment was not completed, the date for its final verdict has been extended further.

The matter has been in Judge S.P. Garg’s court. Ending the final arguments March 17, the judge fixed the date for the verdict as March 30, which has been extended now.

The blast took place in Lajpat Nagar’s central market May 2, 1996, killing 13 people, injuring 39 and leaving 14 buildings destroyed. Ten people, including a woman, are on trial for allegedly carrying out the blast.

Ansari also claimed that the accused were innocent and were being framed in the case. The accused said they were in police custody even before the blast took place.

Few of the accused argued that the alleged recoveries of arms, ammunition and explosives from several places in Jammu and Kashmir does not establish any link that similar explosives were used in the blast.