Telangana High Court Confirms Death Sentences for 2013 Hyderabad Bombing Convict

The Telangana High Court on Tuesday affirmed the death sentences handed down to five senior members of the outlawed terrorist group Indian Mujahideen for their roles in a devastating 2013 bomb attack in Hyderabad that claimed 18 lives and injured 131 others. Justices K Lakhshman and P Sree Sudha, sitting as a bench, rejected a criminal revision appeal lodged by the convicted operatives, thereby endorsing the earlier ruling from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court.

“The trial court’s sentencing decision stands upheld,” the bench declared in its ruling.

The five individuals Indian Mujahideen co-founder Mohd Ahmed Sidibapa, also known as Yasin Bhatkal, Pakistani national Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, Tahaseen Akhtar alias Monu, and Ajaz Shaikh were found guilty by the NIA court on December 13, 2016. Their convictions stem from a twin bomb attack that rocked Dilsukhnagar, a bustling commercial hub in Hyderabad, on February 21, 2013. The coordinated explosions unleashed chaos in the crowded area, leaving a lasting mark on the city.