THE FAMILIES of four men, who were on Wednesday acquitted by the Rajasthan High Court in the 2008 Jaipur blast case, said their faith in the judicial system has now increased. They claimed that the court judgment is the result of “hard work” by them and their lawyers. The Indian Express spoke to families of three of the men on Thursday. Shadab Ahmed, father of Mohammad Saif, said “My lawyer Paikar Farooq, who died due to coronavirus amid the pandemic in 2020, worked hard on the case and had told us several times that there is no evidence against my son and other boys in the case. He devoted most of his time to this case so that the boys get justice. The hard work of Paikar Farooq resulted in this.” He added that his lawyer, who contested the case in the Rajasthan High Court, also worked hard and fought bravely. “This is a morale boost. Now, we expect a similar judgment in the other two cases pending in Delhi and Ahmedabad,” said Shadab, a resident of Sanjarpur village in Azamgarh. Saif’s case is pending in a sessions court in Delhi and the Gujarat High Court, said the father. Some distance away from Shadab’s residence is the house of Mohammad Salman, who was also acquitted on Wednesday. When contacted, Mohammad Salman’s brother Mohammad Aziz, a student, said, “We are all happy with the judgment and hope that my brother is released from jail soon.” Meanwhile, Mohammad Asim, uncle of Mohammad Sarwar Azmi - who was also acquitted - said, “The Rajasthan High Court judgment is the result of a 15-year fight. We used to regularly keep track of every development in court. Because of our efforts, we have now got justice. Our faith in the judicial system has now increased.”
