Four Sentenced To Death In 2013 Hyderabad Bombings

In what is being viewed as a strong and monumental judgment, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Cherlapally, Hyderabad on Monday sentenced five operatives of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) to death in the 2013 Dilsukhnagar (Hyderabad) twin bomb blasts case.

Last week, Ahmed Siddibappa Zarrar (Yasin Bhatkal), Zia-ur-Rahman (Waqas), Mohammed Tahseen Akhtar (Hassan), Asadullah Akhtar (Haddi), and Ajaz Shaikh were held guilty for the February 21, 2013 blasts in Hyderabad. The sixth accused, Mohammed Riyaz alias Riyaz Bhatkal, is still elusive.

Tensions were felt as the hour of sentencing closed in. And at around 4:45 pm, the special court Judge sentenced the five terrorists to death. Surprisingly, neither the defence advocate nor the kin of the five were seen anywhere near the Cherlapalli Central Prison.

NIA prosecutor Surender presented verdicts of different courts that the 5 convicts ought to be given death, to the Judge. He argued the Constitution had granted the Right to Live, which was violated by the IM terrorists as they killed 18 persons and injured 131, and hence ought to be awarded the highest punishment, which was death.

The Special Court, operating from the Cherlapally central prison, recently convicted the five including terror mastermind Yasin Bhatkal under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code and some Special Acts, but stalled the sentencing till December 19.