Jaipur, March 29 : A special court in Jaipur has deferred the verdict of the 2008 serial bomb blasts case till April 4.

A series of bomb blasts took place on May 13, 2008, in Jaipur, triggering multiple explosions.

The verdict, which was initially scheduled for Saturday, has now been postponed to April 4. The court is set to rule on four accused. Of these, Saifurrahman and Mohammad Saif are currently lodged in Jaipur Central Jail, while Mohammad Sarwar Azmi and Shahbaz Ahmed are out on bail.

The prosecution has completed its arguments in the case. Special prosecutor Shravan Kumar presented statements from 112 witnesses against the four accused and submitted approximately 1,200 documents as evidence.

On the other hand, the defense, represented by advocate Minhajul Haq, did not present any witness testimonies but submitted 122 documents in support of the accused.

Special court judge Ramesh Kumar Joshi will now deliver the verdict on April 4.

In connection with the other eight cases related to the Jaipur serial bomb blasts, the special court had sentenced the accused to death around five and a half years ago.

However, the accused appealed to the High Court, which later acquitted them. The Rajasthan government has since challenged the High Court's decision in the Supreme Court, where the case remains pending.

On May 13, 2008, eight serial bomb blasts shook the Chardiwari area of Jaipur. Nearly 11 years later, on December 20, 2019, a special court sentenced Saifurrahman, Mohammad Saif, Mohammad Sarwar Azmi, and another individual, who was later deemed a minor at the time of the incident by the high court, to death.

Another accused, Shahbaz Ahmed, was acquitted.

Following this verdict, the ATS arrested the convicted individuals from jail on December 25, 2019, in connection with the live bomb case. However, on March 29, 2023, the High Court overturned the special court's decision, acquitting all the accused and pointing out investigative lapses.

Subsequently, the ATS filed a supplementary charge sheet, adding three new witnesses. During the hearing, the ATS recorded statements from 112 witnesses, including journalist Prashant Tandon, former ADG Arvind Kumar, and Dinesh Mahawar, strengthening the case.

Defense lawyer Minhajul Haq argued that the statements of any witness were not recorded by the defense. He asserted that the facts of the live bomb case were identical to those in the eight blast cases, on the basis of which the high court had already acquitted the accused.

He also pointed out that the prosecution failed to establish who had placed the bicycle in front of the temple, a crucial aspect of the case.

/IANS