LeT bomb-maker Abdul Karim Tunda acquitted in 1993 serial blast case

The TADA (Terrorist and Anti-Disruptive Activities Act) court in Ajmer, Rajasthan, acquitted Abdul Karim Tunda, the alleged mastermind behind the 1993 train blasts, on February 29. Tunda, 81, known to be associated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist organization, was let off due to a lack of substantial evidence against him.

While Tunda walked free, two others implicated in the case, identified as Irfan and Hamiduddin, were found guilty and handed life sentences by the court. The 1993 train bombings, occurring on the night of December 5-6, coincided with the first anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, resulting in two fatalities and numerous injuries.

Abdul Karim Tunda, a known associate of underworld kingpin Dawood Ibrahim, was apprehended in 2013 near the India-Nepal border. His arrest was on charges related to orchestrating a series of bombings in cities including Lucknow, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Surat, and Mumbai, as part of the 1993 terror attacks.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had previously labeled Tunda as the mastermind behind the 1993 train blasts, a case that has remained one of the most significant instances of terrorism in India's history.

This is not the first time Tunda has faced legal proceedings. In February of last year, a court in Haryana acquitted him in connection to the 1997 twin Rohtak blast cases due to insufficient evidence. The blasts, occurring on January 22, 1997, at Old Sabzi Mandi and Qila Road in Rohtak, resulted in eight injuries.