Varanasi blasts accused Waliullah moves HC against death sentence

PRAYAGRAJ: Varanasi’s serial blast accused Waliullah Khan, who was awarded death sentence by the trial court at Ghaziabad recently, has moved Allahabad high court, challenging the judgment.
His criminal appeal is likely to be taken up by the high court shortly.
The trial court at Ghaziabad had on June 6, 2022 awarded death sentence to Waliullah for the serial blasts that had rocked Varanasi claiming at least 20 lives in 2006.
He has filed this criminal appeal through jail administration of Ghaziabad. At present, Waliullah is lodged in Dasna jail of Ghaziabad district. He is a native of Phulpur area of Prayagraj district.
The blasts had taken place 16 years ago at Varanasi’s Sankat Mochan and Hanuman temples and the railway station.
The first blast had taken place in the evening on March 7, 2006 inside the crowded Sankat Mochan temple under Lanka police station area. Immediately after 15 minutes, another bomb had exploded outside the first-class retiring room at Varanasi Cantonment railway station.
As a result of two explosions, at least 20 people were killed and about 100 were injured. On the same day, a pressure cooker bomb was also found near railing of a railway crossing in Dashashwamedh police station area of Varanasi district.
Subsequently, the lawyers in Varanasi had refused to plead the case. Consequently, the Allahabad high court had then transferred the trial of this case to Ghaziabad district court.
In all three cases lodged against Waliullah, as many as 121 witnesses were produced before the trial court.
After the conclusion of the trial, Waliullah was convicted in two cases lodged under the various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) including murder, attempt to murder and also under the Explosive Act. However, he was acquitted in the third case due to lack of evidence.