Lajpat Nagar blast sentencing deferred to April 22

NEW DELHI - A city court Saturday deferred to April 22 the sentencing of six people, including a woman, convicted for the 1996 Lajpat Nagar bomb blast that claimed 13 lives.

Earlier this week, the prosecution had argued for the death penalty for the convicts while the defence had asked for mercy in the form of life imprisonment for four convicts and a jail term of up to seven years for the two others, held guilty on lesser charges, keeping in mind that they have already spent 14 years in jail while the trial was on.

All the accused are from Jammu and Kashmir.

The four facing death penalty are Mirza Nissar Hussain alias Naza, Mohammad Naushad, Mohammad Ali Bhatt alias Killey and Javed Ahmed Khan. The two others are Farooq Ahmed Khan and Farida Dar.

The case is being heard in the court of district and sessions judge S.P. Garg.

The blast took place on the evening of May 2, 1996 in the busy Central Market area of Lajpat Nagar killing 13 people and injuring 39 others.