NEW DELHI: Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta, hearing the appeal filed by the Rajasthan government and the victims, recused from hearing the case against the acquittal of various accused persons in the 2008 Jaipur bomb blasts case.
It is to be noted that Rajasthan High Court is the parent High Court of Justice Mehta, and he was elevated to the Supreme Court in November last year. The other judge in the two-judge bench composition in the Supreme Court was Justice B R Gavai.
The appeal was filed by the victim's family members and the State government in the 2008 Jaipur bomb blast case challenging the Rajasthan HC's order in which it had acquitted four Muslim men.
The victim's family members who have approached the Top Court challenging the Rajasthan HC order are; Rajeswari Devi, Avinav Tiwari and others.
The Rajasthan HC in its order in April this year, had acquitted four persons -- Sarvar Aazmi, Mohammad Saif, Saifur Rahman, and Salman -- who were accused of the 2008 Jaipur bomb blasts. These men were previously convicted and sentenced to death by a trial court in 2019.
Rajasthan HC overturned the trial court order on the ground that the prosecution had not been able to establish the chain of circumstances to prove their guilt. It also came down heavily on the investigating agency.
According to the prosecution, on May 13, 2008, a number of explosions took place in Jaipur, resulting in the death of 71 persons and injuries to 185 persons. A total of eight FIRs were registered in the matter.