Supreme Court rejects interim bail plea by Church blasts convicts

The Supreme Court has rejected interim bail plea by two life term convicts in a case related to a series of blasts at various churches in Bengaluru, Hubbali and Kalaburgi in year 2000.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Ajay Rastogi and Aniruddha Bose said though the detention period has been fairly long, it was not possible to release them due to nature of offences against them.

In case of some special circumstances arising, the appellants are permitted to revive the prayer for bail, the court added.

In his plea, Syed Shamshuzama contended he has been behind the bars for 19 years, the appeal filed by him and others was unlikely to come up for hearing in near future.

He also pointed out that he was a permanent resident of Andhra Pradesh and all his family members were residing at the same address. He also said he will not violate or breach any of the conditions as imposed while granting bail.

In his bail plea, mother of convict Sheik Fardeen Valli alias Fareed submitted that he has been in custody since July 16, 2000. She sought interim bail for him on humane ground as his father was on death bed and suffered from 86 per cent permanent disability.

The petitioners were represented by advocate Kamini Jaiswal and the state government by advocate V N Raghupathy.

The convicts, being members of Deendar-Anjuman organisation, were alleged to have conspired and carried out the blasts at different churches in the city of Bengaluru, Hubbali and Kalaburgi, among others.

They challenged the December 14, 2014 order of the Karnataka HC's order that upheld their conviction in the case. The HC had commuted the death penalty awarded to them by the trial court to life term.

On 8 June, 2000, two consecutive blasts took place at St Ann's Catholic Church, Wadi, Chittapur Taluk, Kalaburgi district in three hours. The second blast took place on 8 July, 2000 at St Luthern Church in Hubbali between 3:30 and 4:30 AM. The third bomb blast was carried out on 9 July, 2000 at 10:15 AM. at St Peter and Paul Church on J J Nagar Main Road, Bengaluru.