India: Lashkar-e-Taiba bomb maker Abdul Karim Tunda acquitted in 1993 blast case

Abdul Karim Tunda, the main accused in the 1993 train serial bomb blast case, was on Thursday (Feb 29) acquitted by a TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act) court over lack of evidence. The court observed that the prosecution could not provide any concrete piece of evidence to prove the charges.

Two others accused, Irfan and Hamiduddin, were sentenced to life imprisonment by the special court in north Indian state of Rajasthan's Ajmer.

Tunda's petitioner Shafqat Sultani stated that the CBI failed to present any strong evidence against his client and he has been acquitted in all sections and acts.

"Abdul Karim Tunda is innocent, today the Court gave this judgement. Abdul Karim Tunda has been acquitted in all Sections and all Acts. CBI prosecution could not produce any concrete piece of evidence before the court in TADA, IPC, Railway Acts, Arms Act, or Explosive Substances Act. We had been saying that from the beginning that Abdul Karim Tunda is innocent...Irfan and Hamiduddin have been convicted and quantum of the sentence will be pronounced shortly," Sultani said.

Who is Abdul Karim Tunda?

Tunda, aged 81, is the main accused behind the serial blasts on five trains in different cities - Lucknow, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Surat and Mumbai -that were carried out on the first anniversary of the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition.

He was designated as the mastermind behind the attack by the the probe agancy Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The blasts had claimed the lives of two and had left several injured.

The 81-year-old is also a reportedly a close aide of wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim.

The TADA court had framed charges against Tunda, and two other accused, identified as Irfan alias Pappu and Hamiruddin, for staging the blasts in Lucknow, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Surat and Mumbai on the intervening night of December 5-6, 1993.

(With inputs from agencies)