A Delhi court has granted bail to Mehrajuddin Bhatt, alias Juber, an accused in the 1996 Lajpat Nagar bomb blast case, nearly three decades after the incident. Bhatt, who was declared a proclaimed offender in February 1997, was arrested on July 9, 2024.
Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur granted regular bail to Bhatt on Tuesday, July 23, imposing several conditions, including restrictions on leaving the country without court permission.
The Lajpat Nagar blast, which occurred on May 21, 1996, claimed more than a dozen lives and left several others injured. The Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front (JKIF) had claimed responsibility for the attack.
During the hearing, the Investigating Officer informed the court that no incriminating evidence had been found against Bhatt in the examination of two co-accused, Faridabad Dar and Latif Ahmed Waza. Bhatt’s name had appeared in their disclosure statements. The court noted that Dar was acquitted of conspiracy charges in 2010, while Waza was acquitted of all charges.
Advocate Kartik Venu, representing Bhatt, argued that his client is innocent and not a flight risk, citing his continuous employment with the Institute of Management and Public Administration in Natipora since 1989.
The case, initially registered at Lajpat Nagar police station, was later transferred to the special cell. Out of 17 accused, four were convicted, six were acquitted, six were declared proclaimed offenders, and one has expired.
(Inputs from ANI)