Three accused sentenced to death in 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast

NEW DELHI - A Patiala House court on Thursday delivered death sentences to three of the six persons involved in the 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast.

District and Sessions Judge S P Garg announced the quantum of punishment for all six accused.

Besides death sentence for the three accused, one was awarded life term imprisonment and one accused was given an imprisonment for seven years.

The woman, who had earlier faced the trial in the case, was awarded a punishment of four years and two months. But the court set her free on grounds that she had earlier completed her term of punishment.

The court had earlier on April 8 convicted six people for their role in the blasts.

They were convicted under Section 302 and Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for attempt to murder.

Earlier on March 18, the court had reserved its verdict in the case in which ten alleged militants of Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front, including a woman, have faced the trial.

The blasts rocked Lajpat Nagar’s Central Market on the evening of May 21, 1996, killing 13 and injuring scores of people.

The accused were arrested soon after the incident by the police, which tracked the calls made by them to various media houses, claiming responsibility for the terror attack.(ANI)