The Supreme Court on Friday sought the response of Mirza Himayat Baig, the lone convict in the Pune German Bakery blast that had claimed 17 lives in 2010, on a plea of the Maharashtra government again
The Supreme Court on Friday sought the response of Mirza Himayat Baig, the lone convict in the Pune German Bakery blast that had claimed 17 lives in 2010, on a plea of the Maharashtra government against the Bombay high court verdict that commuted his death penalty to life term.
A bench of Justices P.C. Ghose and Amitava Roy issued notice to Baig and sought his reply on the plea of the state government. The plea had challenged the March 17, 2016 judgment of the high court, which also acquitted Baig from serious charges under various sections of the Unlawful Prevention (Activities) Act and IPC, including sections 302 (murder) read with 120-B (criminal conspiracy).
The high court had convicted 32-year-old Baig for offences under IPC section 474 (possessing a document knowing it to be forged with intent to use it as genuine) and under section 5(b) of the Explosive Substances Act relating to punishment for making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstance.
Baig, who was alleged to be a member of banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, was arrested in September 2010 for involvement in the blast at German Bakery, a popular eatery in Pune, which killed 17 persons.
