SC refuses bail to 12 convicts in 2000 church blasts case in Karnataka

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to grant bail to 12 people, belonging to 'Deendar-Anjuman' group, and awarded life term for carrying out a series of blasts at various places in Karnataka in year 2000.

A bench of Justices P C Ghose and R F Nariman put the appeals filed by them against their conviction and sentence for consideration after summer vacation.

Advocate Kamini Jaiswal, appearing for the convicts, sought bail for them on the ground of parity with another convict Syed Abdul Khader Gilani. She said the other petitioners should also be enlarged till the time the apex court heard their appeal against their conviction and sentence. 

Karnataka's Additional Advocate General Devadutt Kamat, on the other hand, opposed her plea. He said the convicts, being members of Deendar-Anjuman organisation, conspired and carried out the blasts at different churches in the city of Bengaluru, Hubbali and Gulbarga, among others, in order to disturb peace and tranquility of Karnataka's peace-loving society.

Kamat also urged the apex court to recall the order that granted bail to Gilani, one of the convicts, in February, this year. He said the



convict may flee to Pakistan as he had earlier travelled several times to the neighbouring country. The state government also submitted that it would soon file a petition seeking restoration of death penalty to them.

Jaiswal, however, countered his arguments, saying Gilani did not hold any passport and he was very much present in Bengaluru. On this, Kamat contended the convict did not require valid passport for going to Pakistan.

The bench, then, asked the state government to file its proper application for recalling the order for bail to Gilani.

The petitioners-convicts challenged the 14 December, 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, Gulbarga district in three hours. The second blast took place on 8 July, 2000 at St Luthern Church in Hubbali between 3:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. The third bomb blast was carried out on 9 July, 2000 at 10:15 p.m. at St Peter and Paul Church on J J Nagar Main Road, Bengaluru.