The Supreme Court on Monday has issued a notice to the State of Rajasthan following a plea by Syed Sarwar Chishty, the Khadim of Ajmer Dargah Sharif, challenging the Rajasthan High Court’s decision to dismiss an appeal against the acquittal of seven Hindutva men accused in the 2007 Ajmer Dargah blast case.
The notice was issued by a bench comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Sandeep Mehta to the State of Rajasthan, which also condoned the delay, thereby restoring the complainant’s right to be heard on merits, after a special leave petition was filed against the High Court’s order dated May 4, 2022.
The High Court had dismissed the appeal against the acquittal of seven accused who had been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and the Explosive Substances Act, 1908.
The petition challenges the interpretation of Section 21(5) of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, arguing that a rigid bar on appeals beyond 90 days violates Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India by arbitrarily restricting the fundamental right to appeal and access to justice for victims and complainants.
The 2007 Ajmer Dargah blast killed three Muslim pilgrims, a woman named Shehnaz, a 60-year-old man named Hameed, and a 13-year-old boy named Mohammad Soheb, and injured 17 others, many of them seriously.
Investigations found that the bombing was part of a series of attacks linked to Hindu extremist groups, including individuals affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Devendra Gupta, an RSS pracharak from Madhya Pradesh, was identified as the key conspirator and planner, while Bhavesh Patel from Gujarat planted the bomb. Sunil Joshi, an RSS zila pracharak and the main operational head, was shot dead under mysterious circumstances in December 2007, shortly after the blast.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
