Top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) bomb expert Abdul Karim Tunda has been discharged by a Delhi court in connection with two separate blast cases lodged in 1997 in which one person was killed and several others were injured.
73-year-old Tunda, one of the 20 accused India had asked Pakistan to hand over after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, was discharged following the court’s verdict which said that there was no concrete evidence against him.
Last month, Tunda was discharged by another court in a case registered under the stringent Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) and under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
However, he will have to remain in jail as there is one more case pending against him in Delhi. Thus far, Tunda has cleared of charges in three cases.
Police had told the court that Tunda, suspected in 40 bombings in India, was declared a proclaimed offender in the case.
The Two Blasts
The two cases in which Tunda was discharged by Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh pertains to a blast in Karol Bagh on October 28, 1997 and two blasts in Sadar Bazaar on October 1, 1997.
In the Karol Bagh blast case, one person was killed while several others were injured and a bomb was also recovered by the police. Tunda was named in the chargesheet for the alleged offences under various provisions of the Explosive Substances Act and the IPC including sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder).
In the Sadar Bazar blasts, several persons were injured in two bombs explosions.
The police had alleged in the charge sheet that Tunda’s name had cropped up during the interrogation of Amir Khan and Mohd Shakil, the others accused in the cases.
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