Terrorist Waliullah, convicted in the 2006 Banaras serial blasts case, was sentenced to death by the court of Sessions Judge Jitendra Kumar Sinha. The Ghaziabad court had convicted Waliullah on Saturday. 18 people died in the blasts while 50 were injured.
The lawyers of Banaras refused to represent Waliullah. After that the High Court transferred the matter to Ghaziabad on 24 December 2006. The matter was being heard continuously in the Sessions Court. Waliullah is a resident of Prayagraj.
It should be noted that on March 7, 2006, there were serial bomb blasts in Banaras. The first blast took place in the Sankatmochan temple at 6.15 pm. Seven people were killed while 26 were injured. After 15 minutes i.e. at 6.30 pm, a cooker bomb was found near the railing of Jammu railway gate in Dashashwamedh Ghat police station area. Due to the promptness of the police, the explosion was averted here. Had there been an explosion, many people would have died.
On March 7 itself, at 6.35 pm, there was an explosion in front of the waiting room of Cantt railway station. A total of 18 people died while more than 100 were injured in the blasts of Sankat Mochan and Cantt. The names of five other terrorists were revealed in the case. One terrorist Mohammad Zubair has been killed in Kashmir. While three terrorists Zakaria, Mustakim and Vashir have fled the country and fled to Bangladesh.
In the cases of Sankat Mochan and Dashashwamedh Ghat, the court had already convicted terrorist Waliullah on charges of murder, attempt to murder as well as terrorist activity. He was acquitted for lack of evidence in the Cantt railway station blast. During the hearing held in Ghaziabad court on Monday, utmost vigilance was taken. Tight security arrangements were made in the court during the verdict. The search of the court premises through dog squad continued till the end. The judgment was pronounced in the presence of lawyers for both the sides. The media was also stopped outside.