NEW DELHI — The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the execution of Asadullah Akhtar, a convict in the 2013 Dilsukhnagar twin bomb blasts case in Hyderabad and was sentenced to death by a special NIA court in 2016 and also his punishment was confirmed by the Telangana High Court on April 8 this year.
The blasts that killed 18 people and left 131 injured in Hyderabad’s Dilsukhnagar, a crowded shopping area, took place on the eve of February 21, 2013. The first blast took place at a bus stop and another blast was near an eatery in Dilsukhnagar.
Asadullah Akhtar filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court on September 20, challenging the High Court order. The petition was heard by a bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria on Thursday, September 25.
During the proceedings, Akhtar’s counsel Seema Mishra pointed out that he is currently lodged at Mandoli Jail in Delhi and requested that any orders be communicated to the concerned prison authorities.
She also sought condonation for a 75-day delay in filing the SLP, which the court accepted.
“There shall be stay of execution of the death sentence of the appellant,” the bench said.
The bench not only stayed the execution of the death penalty but also directed that the original records from both the trial court and the High Court be obtained.
The apex court directed the Delhi government to place before it the report of all probation officers relating to Akhtar within eight weeks.
“The superintendent of prison of the prison concerned, shall submit a report with regard to the nature of work which has been performed by the appellant while in jail and a report with regard to the conduct and behaviour of the appellant while in jail, within a period of eight weeks,” it said.
The Supreme Court further instructed its registry to immediately forward these directions to the Delhi government’s standing counsel, who in turn must ensure that jail authorities receive them and act accordingly.
The bench also directed the jail official to get Akhtar’s psychological evaluation done from a government hospital and posted the appeal after 12 weeks.
Based on evidence presented by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the special court had sentenced Akhtar to death on December 13, 2016. That ruling was upheld by the Telangana High Court earlier this year, leading to the present appeal before the Supreme Court.
The Dilsukhnagar blasts, which rocked Hyderabad on February 21, 2013, remain one of the most devastating terror attacks in the city in recent history. — With inputs from PTI
