Abdul Karim Tunda acquitted in 1993 serial train blasts case

Jaipur: A special court in Rajasthan's Ajmer Thursday acquitted Abdul Karim Tunda in the 1993 serial blasts case, observing the prosecution could not provide enough evidence to prove the charges.

Two other accused -- Irfan and Hamiduddin -- have been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court.

Eighty-one-year-old Tunda, a close aide of wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, was accused of carrying out blasts in five trains in different cities in December 1993 to mark the first anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition.

Two people were killed and several injured in the blasts. "The court has acquitted Abdul Karim Tunda of all the charges framed against him. The prosecution could not provide enough evidence to prove the charges," his petitioner Shafquatullah Sultani told reporters in Ajmer.

The TADA court had framed charges against Tunda, the main accused, and Irfan alias Pappu and Hamiduddi on September 30, 2021, over the blasts in passenger trains in Lucknow, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Surat and Mumbai on the intervening night of December 5-6, 1993. Irfan and Hamiduddin have been sentenced to life imprisonment for planting the bombs, their counsel Abdul Rashid told reporters.