SC admits appeals against HC order

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday admitted for hearing a state government appeal challenging the Bombay High Court order commuting death sentence of Mirza Himayat Baig, the lone convict in the 2010 Pune German Bakery blast, which had claimed over a dozen lives.

The high court had commuted Baig’s death sentence to life imprisonment in 2016.

Baig has also moved the apex court against his conviction and sentencing by the trial court and the high court.

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah admitted the cross appeals and said it will hear them.

On July 22, 2016, the SC had sought Baig’s response on the state government’s appeal.

The government’s plea chal- lenged the March 17, 2016 judgement of the Bombay High Court which also acquitted Baig of serious charges under various sections of the Unlawful Prevention (Activities) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including sections 302 (murder) read with 120-B (criminal conspiracy).

The high court had convicted 32-year-old Baig for offences under the IPC’s 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.

The 2010 blast had killed 17 people and injured 58, including some foreigners.