Six convicted in 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast case

Six out of 10 suspected members of banned terror outfit Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front were on Thursday convicted by a Delhi court for their varying roles in the 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast case.

"I convict six accused in this case. Now the matter is fixed for April 13 for advancing of arguments on quantum of sentence," District and Sessions Judge S P Garg said while pronouncing the verdict in a packed courtroom.

Out of the 10 accused, those convicted are Mohd Naushad, Mohd Ali Bhatt, Mirza Nissar Hussain, Javed Ahmed Khan, Farooq Ahmed Khan and a woman associate Farida Dar.

The remaining four -- Mirza Iftikhar, Latif Ahmed Waza, Syed Maqbool Shah, and Abdul Gani -- were acquitted of all the charges for want of sufficient evidence.

Of the six convicted, the alleged key accused -- Farooq Ahmed Khan and Farida Dar -- were convicted under the lighter provisions of Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act but acquitted of grave charges under the IPC, the prosecution said.

The four others were convicted under the stringent penal provisions dealing with criminal conspiracy and murder, which could attract maximum of death penalty, they said.

A stolen Maruti car, laden with explosives went off around 6:30 pm on May 21, 1996 in the crowded central market at Lajpat Nagar in south Delhi, killing 13 persons and injuring 38 others.

The 10 accused persons, all hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, were arrested soon after the incident when police traced the phone calls they made to various media houses claiming responsibility for the terror attack.